Winds and Weapons
by MrsAlderaan
Summary: Hollysharp is a gnome who ran away from home. Her family shunned magic, but she loved it. So, she would rather be with it than them. Brook is a half-elf with an elven mother and human father, seemingly normal. When the two of them run into one another, their lives become irreversibly bound together. The two learn the hardships of life, love, and the consequences of their actions.
1. Running Into Destiny

A fifteen year old gnome ran as quickly as her feet would carry her through the forest, passed the small brook and several clearings of wildflowers until she could no longer stay on her feet. When she finally collapsed, she was near exhaustion, panting and holding a stitch in her side. This was the farthest she'd ever made it during one of her excursions. Normally, Noomfla or Glisenda would have already caught her by now, except she snuck away while they were conducting business with a customer. For once, she was well and truly on her own. She stared up through the tree's canopy, and saw the sun's rays trickling down through the filter of green and smiled.

Once she'd caught her breath, she stood up and continued to walk in the direction she had been running, but, now, she took the time to wave and mutter incomprehensible words under her breath in a language that was neither common nor gnomish. Her eyes danced with joy and wonder when she was finally able to cast the spell. Minor Illusion. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

The gnome frowned as she remembered her first disastrous fighting lesson from Glisenda. She'd known as soon as the small dagger had been placed in her hand that she wasn't a fighter, or, at least, not that type of fighter. As fruit trees began to appear throughout the forest and a small house came into view before her, she remembered of the adventurers her brother traded with, and the magics they so often wielded. That was power that she could wield. Perhaps, she could even use her ability to tinker one day too. There were so many options before her that she was overwhelmed. As her mind whirled with possibilities, a boy came into view. He was playing in the garden by the house as a dire wolf lazily dozed off nearby.

The young boy jumped around the garden, attempting to catch the few butterflies that were nearby, and failing miserably. He would jump and reach out for the tiny insect, and just before it would be within his grasp, it would flutter away, just missing his hands. The young boy fell to the ground, and he face planted into it. He looked up and his face was covered in dirt. As the young half-elven boy began to let out a whimper, an older human man with wirey greying hair and permanently etched laugh lines that had long since become wrinkles came out to console the young boy. The man quickly calmed him, patting his back and giving him a brief kiss on the forehead, before turning to the dire-wolf and calling it over. The wolf stretched widely before standing up and shifting its entire body into that of a female elf; the woman wore slightly revealing clothing which probably helped with her beast transformations and the black hair on her head was wild and curly. A smirk turned at the corners of her lips as she strode over to the older man, giving him a hug and kiss before walking inside with him, leaving the young five year old outside to play by himself.

As the young boy stood up and brushed the few long strands of black hair out of his face, he looked to see his parents walk into the house. He smiled, and as he did so, a butterfly crossed his vision and he chased it once again. He ran around trying desperately to catch the mighty beast, this time, however, when he jumped to catch it what he fell on was what took him the most off guard. Below him was a young blonde haired gnome with blue eyes, who looked like she had just ran a marathon to get where she was now. He looked her over and immediately stood up. "Are… are you okay?" He asked timidly, not knowing what to do.

"Yeah. Just outta breath. I was running away from my brother and sister, and I wound up here this time." She answered honestly, knowing already that she would be caught and deciding to make the most of it while she could. "What's your name?"

"Oh! Hi, my name is Brook. Like the river. What's yours?" The young boy smiled, happy to make a friend.

"Hollysharp, but I don't really like it. It sounds… I don't know… too mean. Nice to meet you, Brook-like-the-river." She teased with a chuckle.

Brook smiled at his new friend. "You don't sound mean, how about I just call you Holly? I don't think I would remember your full name anyway." He smiled back.

"That's fine. Can I help you catch the butterflies? It looks like you were struggling a bit." She asked, seeing just how short the half-elven boy was. Even she was taller than him… for now, that is. She hadn't had a growth spurt in awhile, and she felt like she was going to be stuck at three foot tall forever.

Brook looked back over his shoulder and then back to his new companion. "Yes please! That would be great! I am just a bit too small to catch them." He looked down at his feet, and let out a small frown. His older brother told him he was too small to catch anything, but his father had reminded him that... "I will be big soon enough!" He exclaimed with a triumphant roar.

Hollysharp started scouring the ground, looking for something, but not explaining to her companion just yet. Meanwhile, the boy just looked on in confused wonder. Finally, she'd found her quarry, and the gnome started to fiddle with the long stick she'd found, pulling out a ball of twine and beginning to braid it intricately. She walked over to Brook, showing him what she was doing, "So, you just pull this loop through here, and voila! Now, we have a net." She finished with a flourish of the freshly made tool.

Little Brook looked on in awe, as seemingly out of nowhere, this girl had made a net. "That is awesome!"

The gnomish girl blushed prettily, and looked down at her bare toes as she wiggled them nervously. "Uh, thanks. Why don't you take it for a spin?" She suggested, handing the net to the small boy and standing back to watch as a look of determination made its way into his features before he frolicked through the garden, hunting the butterfly menace. With each swoop of the net, the smile on her face grew. It might not be much, but Holly was happy to bring such joy to her first friend outside of her own tribe.

She looked up at the sky and noticed that the afternoon sun was drawing low in the sky. She'd run away sometime before High Sun. With a sigh, she realized that Glisenda or Noomfla would probably be along to collect her before too much longer. She thought about the punishment she would get for running away so far this time and dreaded returning; she didn't want to go. She loved her brother and sister dearly, but they were terrible parents. They barely acted like parents, and she wondered not for the first time what life would be like if she had her real parents or if she never had to go back. She dreamt of becoming an adventurer and saving the world, falling in love, and having her own family. A family where she could be herself and not somebody she wasn't. Somebody she couldn't be. She imagined how Glisenda fought, and tried to place herself in her sister's shoes. She could never be like that. She wanted something more than her tribe. She wanted what this boy had. Parents. Choices. Freedom.

Holly wiped an errant tear away before dragging herself back to the present only to find that Brook was standing in front of her with a butterfly gently trapped between his two tiny hands. "Are you okay, Holly? You look sad."

She gulped, trying to cover up her nervous response with a false smile that didn't even convince her that she was happy. "Yeah, I guess I'm just sad that I'll probably have to go home soon. I don't really like it there." She frowned.

The boy let go of the butterfly, watching it fly off briefly before he jumped up, wrapping his friend in a hug. "It's okay! We can play again tomorrow. Can't we?"

The girl looked at the boy for a very long moment before finally answering. "I- I really want to, but I'm not sure if I can. My tri- my family is supposed to be traveling north tomorrow, and I'll be in trouble for running off again."

"Aww! That's no fair. Can you stay, please? I never get to play with anybody my own age. My brother is like a bazillion years older than me, and he's never home either." Brook stomped his little foot on the ground angrily.

Hearing the commotion outside, a tall elven woman finally made her way back into the garden. She knelt down in front of the two children, and smiled at them both. "Brook, it's time for you to go back inside and wash up." The half-elf whined, but slumped back into the house obediently as the elf looked at his new friend. "And who might you be?"

The girl looked down at the ground before responding, "Um, my name's Holly, ma'am."

"Alright, Holly. Thank you for coming to play with my boy, but I think it's time that you head home for the night." Brook's mother responded calmly, using her hand to pull the girl's chin up so that their eyes could meet.

The gnome's ears drooped, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Please, I don't wanna go home. Will you let me stay with you? I'll be so good that it's like I'm not here."

The elf appraised the girl for several minutes as she cried before she pulled the blond in for a hug. As soon as the arms wrapped around her, the girl's tears fell, and she began to sob, saying incoherent words and phrases that the woman could only sometimes understand. "Is this what a mama's hug is like? 'Cause I really like it." Holly muttered between heaving gasps for air.

Hearing this, the elf pulled the girl in tighter, "Do you know what happened to your mother, dear?"

Holly shook her head emphatically, "No, big brother Noomf and Big sister Glis just keep telling me that they'll tell me when I get older."

"Why don't you want to go be with your brother and sister? They're your family. Won't you miss them?" The elf asked, pulling away to get a better look at the gnome's blue eyes.

"I would miss them, yeah. I just… wanna be different than they want me to be." Holly shrugged. "I like… magic, and they… well, they just don't." Her eyes looked back to the ground, they never did like the idea of magic. It was such a foreign concept to them that it might as well have been a different planet. Something that they would never understand.

The elf looked at the young child for well over a minute, throwing ideas back and forth in her head. She saw in this young girl, not a hurt soul, but a misunderstood one. Something she could relate too. She pulled Holly in for a long hug, letting the girl feel the love that she wanted. "All right sweetie, you can stay with us for tonight. But tomorrow we will need to bring you to your siblings. Okay?" The woman looked into the gnome's eyes hoping it would be at least some comfort.

Hollys eyes lit up and she hugged the elven woman with all her strength. A few tears fell down her face once again, but, this time, tears of joy. "Yes! Thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me!" She said giddy with excitement.

"All right, then let's get you cleaned up for dinner. Come on." She lead the young girl into the house, and was almost jumped by Brook who was happy to see his new friend. "Brook, please show Holly to the bathroom so that she can wash up for dinner." She calmly told her son, who followed it to the letter, happily leading the young girl to the washroom. When the kids were out of ear shot, she turned to her husband who was looking at her curiously. "I know what you are thinking. And no, I am not being too kind."

The human man picked up his cup of tea, and sipped it slowly. "I didn't say anything... I'm just a little shocked that Brook was able to find a friend all the way out here. It is a bit out of the way from the town." He set the cup back down, enjoying the beverage.

"Nick, she ran away from her family. She just needs a place to stay for the night." The elf sighed, she knew what that girl was going through. She didn't want her to feel lonely. "I just want her to feel welcomed okay?" She looked back at the man looking for some form of acceptance.

Nick sighed, there was no winning with this woman once she had her mind set on something. "Fine, but we are finding her family tomorrow okay?" He said demandingly.

A smile lit up the elf's face, and she walked over and kissed the man on the lips. She pulled away after a moment, and stood back up so that she could see over his shoulder. "That is what I was going to do. I think she might just need a break for a night. So let's let her have it." She saw Brook and Holly laughing on the way back into the kitchen. "Alright kids, I hope your hands are clean, food is ready!"

The kids sat at the table, and Holly introduced herself to the human man. "Hello sir, my name is Holly it is nice to meet you!" She smiled, extending a hand forward to meet him.

"Hello Holly, my name is Nicholas Evenwood, and I see you have already met my wife Pyria, and my son Brook." He said in a kind but stern manner that left no wiggle room for funny business.

"Yes, I have. They are really nice! Thank you for letting me stay for the night!" Holly smiled widely, like the happiest person in the world.

Nick smiled back; he could see why his wife liked her so much. "Well, I hope you enjoy yourself tonight ,alright!?" He smiled wider. If his wife wanted her to have a good time, he could help with that.

"Okay, here is the food. Roast chicken, with roast potatoes, freshly cooked carrots and a side of peas." Pyria said, placing the food in front of everyone. She sat down at the opposite end of the table from Nick. "Enjoy!" She exclaimed and everyone began to dig into the delicious food that had been made.

No words were had as everyone enjoyed Pyria's cooking. After the meal was finished, Holly looked to Pyria. "Thank you! That was the best meal I have ever had! Really it was!" She said with gusto, rubbing her stomach to emphasize her words.

"Thank you, Holly. Now, you and Brook go play in his room. Do have fun." She smiled and began cleaning the dishes. The two friends beelined for Brook's room where fun and giggling could be heard from the kitchen. Nick looked in the direction of the laughter before grunting and getting up to do the dishes, gently pushing his wife to the side. She turned to look at him curiously, a little surprise in her expression. "Nick, what are you doing?"

Nick looked to his wife with worry. "The dishes… What did you think I was doing?" He said with a curious smile and a small chuckle.

"Well, I can see that, but I can take care of them…" She was about to continue, but was cut off by her husband.

"I've got them. I might be old, but I can still do the dishes. Now, you go find her siblings, it's already getting pretty late. I bet they are worried for their sister." He waved her away, and continued to wash the few remaining dishes.

Pyria smiled, and wrapped her arms around his middle from behind, hugging him without impeding on his work. "But, what about the kids?"

"I can look after two kids. It's not that hard to entertain them. Now, go find them. I've got all this." He turned around, drying his hands and returned the hug briefly, watching as she turned towards the door. Pyria shifted into an owl to search for Holly's brother and sister, glanced back at her husband, and flew off into the night.

Once the dishes were done, Nick made his way to his son's room to check in on the two rambunctious children. When he entered, he was shocked by what he saw. They had made two forts opposite from each other, using the pillows and rugs to make walls and roofs. But what he was most impressed with was the two trebuchets that had been built out of Brook's tinker toys. They were firing small figurines back and forth at each other, laughing and giggling as they did so. When the two children finally noticed him, they both stopped and smiled. "Hey Dad! Look what Holly made! Isn't it cool?" The young boy said smiling, bringing the small trebuchet to his father to examine.

As Nick looked it over, he glanced over to Holly, who was smiling, but was looking at her feet, as if she thought she was about to be reprimanded for making it. "You made this?" He asked, looking over the intricate recreation of a fully functional weapon of war. Holly jumped slightly when Nick asked the question, she looked at him like she was about to cry. She simply nodded in return. Nick handed the model back to Brook, before walking over to Holly, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "That is amazing what you did! I have never seen anything like it before! You have a real knack for this, you could be quite engineer when you get older!" He patted her on the head and stood back up and turned to walk to the door.

The young girl was ecstatic. Never had she been told that the things she made were a good thing, let alone amazing. She smiled widely and ran up to Nick and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Brook's Dad." She nearly toppled over the older human, but he was able to stand firm. "Thank you. I would like to be an engineer, but I like magic more! I can even cast a spell!"

Nick was taken aback, how could this young girl be able to cast spells at such a young age? Surely she had to be joking. "Really? Show me." He said, half assedly, not expecting her to actually produce even a spark of magic. What Nick saw next, made his jaw drop. Not only did she begin to cast a spell, but it was a spell he knew. It was a cantrip, but a spell is a spell, regardless of its level of power. She made a small shower of harmless sparks shoot out of her hand that fluttered into nothingness. Nick took a moment to contemplate what he had just seen. This young girl, barely even the same age as his son, had just cast a spell in front of him. He stood there in awe for a few moments, before he managed to pick his jaw off of the floor. Then, he gave a slow clap, which he sped up before stopping and giving the young girl a bow. "Very well done! That is impressive that you are able to do that at such a young age. Good for you to be able to do that!" He said, smiling at the young gnome who was blushing so profoundly at this point that her ears were turning red. He turned to Brook and pointed a finger. "Brook, you need to be careful with this one. She is smart, and will one day be the bane of your existence." He smiled, as his son suddenly looked worried.

"But, Dad! She's just a girl! What can she do?" He asked, unsure of what his father had meant.

Nick sighed, and looked at his son. "Well, for starters, she can already cast spells, and, the last time I checked, you can't cast anything. Yet. So be careful, I say that from experience." He said, using his stern fatherly tone, making sure his son knew he was being serious.

"Okay, Dad, I will be careful." He said, still not fully grasping his father's words.

"Okay, good. Now, you two have fun, and don't stay up too late okay?" Nick spoke knowing full well that they wouldn't take heed of him at all.

"Okay!" They chimed in unison as they began to go back to the miniaturized war that they were having.

Nick walked into the living room, and sat down on the couch. He pondered what that girl must have gone through just to want to leave her family. She didn't seem unhappy, but, as his wife had put it, she needed to get a break from them. And, that wasn't a bad thing, but he still wanted to know what her siblings must be like for her to need to run away from them. He got up to get a drink, and poured himself a glass of water. As he did, he still couldn't get over the fact that she was able to cast a cantrip, and at such a young age. She definitely was a smart one, he could see her becoming a terrifying wizard one day. Maybe just like Brook's older half brother… Then, an idea popped into his head. One that was farfetched to say the least, but he needed to talk to his wife first.


	2. Confrontation

After several hours had past, the children were still awake, albeit much quieter than before. Nick jumped when he felt a warm hand caress his neck. He looked up, and saw his wife leaning over him. He snorted and looked at the clock. It was almost four in the morning. He had fallen asleep trying to stay awake with the kids. He laughed and let out a sigh. "Those two are a ball of energy. I tell you what, I bet that, if they wanted, they could probably stay up for a solid 36 hours straight." He rubbed his eyes, trying his best to get the grogginess out of him. "Any luck finding them?" He asked.

"Well, l, yes and no… I did find them, but they were asleep. So, I didn't get to actually meet them, but I did leave them a note." Pyria smiled, trying make her husband feel better.

"Cool, that's good…" Nick said trailing off, not quite sure on how to get to the next part of where he was going with this, so he just decided to blurt it out. "What if… She didn't go back to them?" He quickly spoke, knowing what she was going to say.

There was a long, silent pause before a quick strike hit the back of Nick's head. "Nicholas William Evenwood! What in the hells are you talking about you crazy bastard?" She walked in front of him, and demanded an answer.

"Just listen for a moment. Okay? She is smart, really smart! Pyria, she made a trebuchet out of tinker toys, and can cast minor illusion! She isn't like the rest of her family. She is being held back. If she was taught in the ways of magic, she could be terrifying!" Nick looked into his wife's eyes, and saw a mass of confusion and indecision take over.

"Wha- what are you talking about? She is the same age as Brook! How could she cast a spell? And, who would be this mighty teacher of yours to train her? You are a bard, and I am a druid. Who could do it?" She asked rhetorically. This was a crazy speech that Nick was giving.

"You are going to think that I'm crazy." Nick mumbled, trailing off at the end of his sentence.

"I already do!" The elf quickly responded, cutting her husband's thoughts off.

Nick sighed, and continued his trail of thought. "I think that Vladimir could teach her." He blurted out unabashedly.

There was a tension in the air that could be cut with a knife. It wasn't until Pyria began uncontrollably laughing that the mood was broken. She was laughing like a crazy person, and was having trouble breathing. It took her several minutes before she could speak. "You want Vlad, the Hemomancer, to teach a young gnome girl the secrets and teachings of magic… Are you out of your goddamn mind?! He can barely talk to his family, let alone other people!" She facepalmed and sat down, this was getting crazier by the minute for her.

"It could teach him how to talk to people, and it would be a way for him to see us more. She is smart, and I am sure that she would be a fast learner, even considering Vlad's… eccentricities." Nick said perturbed but undaunted by the odd man that was his half son.

Pyria looked up to Nick with a furrow in her brow. "And, what about her siblings!? Are we just going to kidnap her, and give her to Vlad?" Her voice sounded like it was about to be thrown out by how ragged it sounded.

"I never said that. I'm saying that we talk to Vlad and see if he would be willing, and, then, we talk to her siblings. You are overthinking this Ria, trust me. Once Vlad sees what she is capable of, he will say yes. We can deal with the siblings later. Besides, from what I can gather, they are a bunch of barbarians. She is probably the smartest one of them all." Nick said with a smile, holding his wife's hand to comfort her.

Pyria looked at her husband's hand and rubbed her thumb on his hand. She looked up to him, and let out a sigh, only he could come up with a plan like this. "And, how do we contact Vlad? Isn't he on a different continent right now?" She thought about where her oldest son had been for the last few months, and when they had last spoken he had said that he had become much stronger. It was in a few words, but that was Vlad, quick and to the point.

Nick let out an awkward smile, and held her hand a bit tighter. "Actually, about that… I might have already asked him, and he might already be on his way here. He mentioned something about teleporting?" He trailed off, trying his best to play the fool.

Pyria simply closed her eyes. This day was becoming far too hectic for her. She stood up, and made her way to the bedroom. "I am going to go lay down for now. I am tired. Please make sure that the kids are fed and watered, and, when Vlad arrives, make sure he is looked after okay!?" She smiled evilly, and walked into their bedroom before even giving Nick the chance to respond.

Nick nodded, that was fair enough. He could deal with the kids and Vladimir. He made his way to Brook's room to check on the kids who were actually asleep now. Holly was laying face down, snoring lightly while Brook was using her as a makeshift pillow, sucking his thumb. Nick smiled, the two of them looked rather nice together. He quietly turned off the lights in the room before picking up the small trebuchet and silently closing the door behind him. He made his way to the kitchen and saw the sun starting to rise. He sighed and began to make breakfast; there would be company soon enough.

Nick spent the next hour cooking a pretty decent feast, if he did say so himself, and, when he was finished, he heard a knock at the door. He made his way to the door, and opened it to find a tall elven man with pale skin and mid length black hair that looked well kept, and, in a word, bouncy. The elf's awkwardly slouching figure waved briefly before he greeted his step father. "Hello Nick. How are you? May I enter?" He asked with a thick accent.

"You don't have to ask, Vlad… You are welcome anytime! Please, come in." He stepped to the side as the man walked over to the table and promptly sat down. He patiently observed the meal in front of him and waited for Nick to return to the table and sit down. Nick chose the seat opposite from the elf in order to encourage conversation. "Please dig in. Help yourself." Nick motioned to the food, and, not a moment later, Vlad began to eat his fill. Nick let out a quiet sigh as his step son ate quietly in front of him. He wondered how a man as smart as the elf could be so horribly socially awkward. He let the thought fade as Vlad finished his plate, and sat waiting for the real reason why he was here.

"You said you had news that you would like to ask me in person. Well, here I am. What is news?" Vladimir asked in the most simple and straightforward manner. It was almost like talking to a child even though the elf was ages older than him.

"Right! So, first, tell me what do you think of this?" Nick asked as he pulled out the trebuchet that Holly had made the night before, and carefully pushing it across the table.

Vlad looked over the small siege weapon and studied it carefully, checking all the small parts and mechanisms that made it work. Once his inspection was complete, he carefully set it down on the table. "It is good. With some work, could be much better, though." He said that quickly, and looked over Nick, who had a smile on his face. He knew something was up, so he then thought about it for a moment longer. "I am guessing that you did not make it. Nor did Brooky. You wanted to talk to me about the one who did. Correct?"

Nick smiled. Vlad always was the fast learner between his two sons. "Correct. The one who made that is also able to cast spells." Nick explained, leading the elf on, hoping that the wizard would start to make the same conclusions that he had.

"Yes, that would make sense." Vlad nonchalantly replied, unperturbed by the idea. The miniature siege weapon was intricate, after all.

"Right, now, what if I told you that the person who made it wasn't much older than Brook?" Nick said, smiling much wider this time.

Vladimir's face, which normally showed no emotions or discernable tells, became one of confusion and curiosity. Maybe there was even a bit of shock mixed in his expression for good measure. His brow furrowed, and he looked into Nick's eyes to see if he was being honest. After a brief moment, he decided that what Nicholas was telling him must be the truth. This couldn't be some elaborate prank. Vlad held his head in his hands, and looked to Nick. "Where did you find this child? What are they, and where did they come from? I want to meet them!" Vlad asked with a new enthusiasm in his voice.

Nick smiled, and stood up. "Follow me, but be quiet. They are still sleeping." He waved a hand for Vlad to follow, and he did so without question. They walked to the door, and Nick quietly opened it. Inside, the two were still fast asleep. "There, the girl Brook is currently using as a pillow." Nick whispered to Vlad, pointing out Holly to him.

Vlad looked at Nick and, then, at the sleeping gnomish girl. He was half tempted to move into the room to get a better look, but, instead, took a step out. "I will wait until she is awake." Vlad whispered before walking back to the kitchen and starting to pace back and forth on his side of the table, muttering things to himself in a language that Nick didn't know. This went on for a few minutes, before Vlad turned to Nick. "Tell me, where did you find her?" He inquired curiously. He was in desperate need for information, answers that his step father might have.

"She found us. Yesterday, in fact. Brook was outside playing in the garden, and, a little while later, he is playing with a girl who ran away from home." Nick simply replied, knowing that Vlad didn't care for any fluff or filler.

Vlad cocked an eyebrow, and looked back at Nick. "Ran away from where?"

"Tribe of wandering barbarians. She ran quite the distance to get here." Nick replied shocked by how far Holly has run just to get away from her tribe. He tried to do the math in his head, but he couldn't believe that it was correct. That must've been… thirty miles.

Vlad pondered this quietly for a few minutes, thinking of all the different reasons as to why Nick would tell him this. He couldn't think of any likely suspects among his ideas, so he simply turned and asked. "And, why did you ask me to come here?"

Nick sat up and crossed his fingers below the table. "Vlad, that girl is special. She is only a few years older than Brook, and, yet, she can cast minor illusion. She is a prodigy. She built that trebuchet in no less than an hour. Imagine what she could do with some teachings? Hells, even the basics. She could be terrifying!" Nick said, still shocked by the potential that the girl had in her.

Vlad looked the human over, he knew there was something he was hiding. "You want me to teach her… don't you?" Vlad sighed, he looked at Nick who simply nodded. Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, and thought long and hard. This was a very serious decision. The elf looked back to Nick and placed a hand on the table, leaning on it. "And, what about her tribe? Does she have any family?"

"Yes, they are going to be here in a few hours. We- er, I mean, I thought that we could talk to them, and, maybe, get them to let us take care of her for a while. At least, teach her the basics." Nick said with trepidation, he wasn't sure himself, but he thought there was a chance, even a small one would be enough.

Vlad sighed, but, before he could speak, there was a knocking at the door. Nick got up, and answered it. When he opened the door, he was greeted by two gnomes. One stood at an impressive 4'6", which was gigantic for a gnome. The only reason Nick could tell that the person was a gnome and not a dwarf, was the slightly smaller one standing next to the female one in front of him. Nick smiled and greeted them with a small bow. "Hello, my name is Nicholas Evenwood, and you must by Holly's siblings." He finished with a smile.

The larger female was bedecked in furs and leathers from head to toe. She had easily a dozen weapons visible on her person and probably a few others that couldn't be seen. She looked terrifying, and she wasn't even angry yet.

The other sibling was a male with a jovial smile and confident countenance about him. He looked and felt like a salesperson. Something about him just oozed charisma. Nick didn't want to find himself alone in a room with that man. He might find himself robbed blind before he knew it.

"Yes, thank you for finding her and keeping her safe for the night. We'll compensate you for your troubles, and be on our way. We've got to be making our way to our next destination." The shorter of the two explained, looking like he wanted to walk inside to collect his youngest sister, but manners dictated otherwise.

Nick looked at the two of them, and was about to let them into the house. However, he still had a question that needed to be answered first. "Of course! You two must be very busy, but I am curious as to why she ran away in the first place. Judging by your tone, this isn't the first time this has happened. Is it?" Nick was careful to look each of them over, making sure that their response was genuine.

Noomfla looked up to the older human man and gave a nod. "You are correct sir. She has a tendency to run off time and time again, but we do eventually find her. You know how kids can be right?" The man playfully smiled, jesting with Nick in the process.

Vlad walked by the door and looked at the two individuals who were standing there. He quietly said nothing and just observed. As he did, he saw Pyria walk out from the bedroom, and the kids groggily make their way out of Brook's room.

Nick smiled, knowing how the man in front of him worked. He'd dealt with plenty like him in his time. "Yes, I know all too well, but I didn't ask how many times she has done this. I asked why. Why did she run away?" Nick's voice was sterner now, he wanted to know the truth. Or, if they didn't know the truth, he wanted to make them think.

Holly heard from around the corner the voices talking and hid behind Brook, trying her best to hide from her siblings. Vlad motioned for Pyria to stand next to the kids and walked up next to Nick. "Yes, why did she run away?"

Both of the gnomes were shocked when the tall elf just came out of nowhere. Glissenda grabbed her axe, while Noomfla kept his cool. He looked down and then back up. "She has it in her head that she is some kind of magically gifted person, but that is not our way. We are warriors and tradesmen." Noomfla had a large grin on his face that almost seemed menacing when paired with his words, and Glissenda gave a battle ready grunt. "To us, magic is useless and pointless. We have no need for it. The sooner she gets that out of her head, the better." Noomfla said matter of factly, causing an audible whimper to be heard from Holly. Noomfla, seeing his sister, leaned into the building to offer her a hand. "Come on Hollysharp, let's go…" Before he could finish, Vladimir stepped in the way, puffing himself up to look as large and intimidating as possible.

"You are wrong." Vlad said sternly. "She is a gifted person, being able to cast a spell at such a young age is a testimony to what she is capable of." Vlad looked down at the gnomes with piercing eyes, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Noomfla looked up at the man. "And, you are?" He asked with both shock and nervousness, but trying to remain calm and confident.

"Valdimir Rasputin, a wizard, and I would like to teach your sister in the ways of the magical arts." He crossed his arms and stood somewhat proudly, his posture didn't fit his attitude.

Glissenda chuckled and actually spoke up for the first time since they arrived. "What good are a bunch of books if axes and blades are sharper? Pointless that's what." She said matter of factly, daring the elf to prove her otherwise.

"Knowledge is power, power you could never hope to achieve. She is already eons ahead of you in that regard." Vlad pointed to Holly, then back to Glissenda, making his point infinitely clear.

Glissenda's brow furrowed as she began to look angry. "Oh, so you think that you could take me in a fight, you magicky bullshit using knife ear? I would love to see that!" She smiled, thinking the elf would do nothing.

"I do not think. I know I could." Vladimir said calmly, sizing up his opponent.

Noomfla stepped in between the two. "No need for violence! We will just take Hollysharp, and be on our way." Noomfla was actually looking worried. Things had never gotten this out of hand before. Just what type of family was this?

"I have an idea. How about this?" Nick said trying to help ease the tension. "What if we settle this the old fashioned way?" You believe that magic is a weak concept while Vlad and Holly firmly believe it to be vastly superior. So, if you win, Holly will leave with you, and, if Vlad wins, Holly can stay with us. You can visit if you like, but we will take care of her and make sure that she is properly looked after. Deal?" Nick held out his hand to Noomfla, eager for him to make the deal by shaking his hand and say yes.

Noomfla looked towards Glissenda who was ready to fight. He then looked to Holly, he didn't want to see her go. She was his youngest sister; his parents had both died bringing her into this world, and she was his responsibility. "Holly, is that alright with you?" He asked, pleadingly, wanting her to take his side.

Holly silently considered the situation before her. It had just dawned on her that what was going right now was because of her. She did love her siblings very much, but she needed the opportunity to see what magic could do. She had tears in her eyes, and nodded at her brother, hoping that she could still sometimes see him when they traveled this way each spring. She didn't know who this wizard really was, but, if she knew anything about magic, the man would win against his sister.

Noomfla let out a long, defeated sigh, he looked Nick in the eyes and shook the man's hand. "You have a deal."

Nick nodded in agreement. He looked at where the two were standing, and suddenly realized that his house was in danger. "Alright, let's move this over there about 100 or so feet. Just to be safe? Sound good?" He asked Vlad and Glissenda, but they were already walking over to where Nick had pointed. "Alright then… Let's get this over with." Nick followed behind them, and, after a minute, he eventually caught up. He looked to the both of them. Glissenda had her axe ready, and was stretching slightly. Vlad on the other hand was very calm, he stretched and flexed, looking like he was trying to work out a cramp. "Are the two of you ready?" Nick asked.

Holly, Brook, Pyria and Noomfla, stood about 50 feet away. They were eager to see what the outcome of this battle would be. Holly more than anyone. She was actually hopping on the balls of her feet in a sort of anxious excitement. She needed to know the result of the fight. She needed to know if she would be stuck with her tribe forever. She needed to know if she could be free from the expectations.

Vlad nodded, and got into a stance. "Da."

Glissenda gave out a grunt, breathing heavily. "Yes, I am."

Nick nodded, and brought his hands together making a loud clapping sound. "Begin."

And, with that, Glissenda raged. Her eyes going red, and charging the elf who was taken off guard by the unbridled strength of the larger than life gnome. Vlad was knocked on his ass, being pushed backwards serval feet. Glissenda, taking advantage of the situation, took her axe and brought it down sinking it deep into the elf's chest not once but twice with an equally decisive blow did it a second time.

Vlads eyes closed, and he let out a grunt. He panted as blood was flowing heavily from his body.

Glissenda let out a yell of victory, as she began walking back to Noomfla. "Told you you were weak."

Holly closed her eyes and she saw Vlad dripping blood at an alarming rate. She was beginning to cry, she didn't want it to end like this. Someone was sticking up for her, for once, and they got hit down like it was nothing. Why did this have to be that way? Why couldn't things go right for her? Just once? Glissenda looked to Nick, and wiped the miniscule amount of sweat from her brow. "Call it." She demanded.

Nick smiled, and shook his head. "Sorry no can do. This fight is still going." He pointed his finger back to Vlad who was now standing up. "He is still standing."

Holly's eyes shot open when she heard that, while Noomfla looked on in wonder. The elven man was, in fact, standing, and was now taking his shirt off, revealing hundreds, if not thousands, of cuts and scars covering his body. Vlad cracked his neck and took a step towards Glissenda. "We are not finished." He said just as calmly as before.

Glissenda turned and faced the elf, and a smile creeped across her face. "Are you sure that you still want to keep going? You're covered in blood, and cut up all to hell. Are you really sure that your life is worth a small deluded gnomish girl's?" She mercilessly taunted. She wanted to fight the man; to prove herself in battle was an honor, but she didn't want to kill him outright during a duel.

Vlad nodded, and began walking forward. "Yes, you have made it much easier for me to cast spells now. Thank you for that. Now, it is my turn." Vlad began casting a very powerful spell and Holly looked on in awe. He could cast magic!

"What type of wizard is better at casting spells when they are more bloodied?" Noomfla asked to Pyria, who looked somewhat unfazed by the turn of events. She had seen what Vladimir could do, and was excited to see how much stronger he'd gotten.

Pyria looked over to the gnomish man, rather confused. "He is a blood wizard, and a very powerful one at that. Your sister is in far over her head." Pyria stated, placing a comforting hand on Holly's shoulder.

When Vlad was finished casting, for him, time stopped in it place. Next, he cast the haste spell on himself, causing him to move even faster. He then moved at a blinding fast speed towards the gnomish warrior, as he did so, the blood moved and coelesed at his fists, harding them into iron hard gauntlets. Lastly, he unleashed a torrent of hits on Glissenda, when he first struck her, time reverted back to normal, but she was so caught off guard that she couldn't react in time to where he was so quickly. The hit struck with a vengeance, and the resulting blows that followed had the same tenacity and packed the same punch as the rest of them.

Noomfla and Holly looked on in shock, awe and horror, as the wizard beat Glissenda into a pulp. All within seconds of him casting the spell. Glissenda fell to the ground unconscious, and Nick declared Vlad the winner by default. Pyria cast a healing spell on Glissenda, then on Vlad who was hit with a wave of lethargy as the haste spell wore off. Glissenda sat up as she realised that she had lost. She looked at Vlad in anger. "You lied. You hit me with your fists, not magic! I demand a retrial!" She yelled.

Vlad sighed and turned to her. "It was a spell. A melee spell. There are different kinds of spells that do different things. Magic is very versatile." Vlad said as he cast the spell once again to prove his point. Turning, his blood into the same fist as before.

Glissenda looked at the elf and let out a yell of anger. He was right. "Fine! You win!"

Holly popped out from where she was hiding behind Nick, looking up at her older brother, shaking nervously, "Uh, thanks Noomf for letting me stay. W-will you come visit next year when you're nearby? So I can show you my inventions and spells?"

Noomfla's head tilted to the side, and he sighed. "Of course, sis." He knelt down, holding his arms out for her to come to him. She slowly marched over and pulled him into a hug. She was still shaking, but it was becoming less and less. "I'm sorry, Holly. I love you, and, maybe one day, you'll come to realize that we were just doing the best that we could."

Nick heard this, and looked away, hiding the emotion that the brother's words summoned. He looked at his son and step son before his eyes met with his wife's. There was a brief moment of communication between the pair. Silent, but there. Only years together and great understanding between the pair could make a moment like that happen.

The barbarian strutted over to her sister, and roughly grabbed her clothing with one hand, lifting the small girl up quite unwillingly. Holly struggled to break free before submitting to her sister's will. She let out a helpless sigh. "Hey, Glis." She whined.

"You better be able to beat the snot outta me with magic one day. Otherwise, it'll be greataxe training for you." The gnome threatened, hefting the mighty axe with her off hand.

"Sis!" Holly cried. "I can't even lift it."

Glisenda shrugged, dropping her sibling unceremoniously, and watching as she fell into a pile on the ground, "Incentive to become stronger." Then, she turned towards the elven man who had just beaten her in a duel. "Next time, I won't hesitate to go for the kill."

Vladimir showed no outward emotion, but, inside, he noted the seriousness in the gnome's voice. "Will be ready." The wizard responded stoically with a nod at the barbarian.

With that, the two elder gnomes made their way back from whence they came. Holly watched the entire time as they walked away, feeling complete shock and disbelief. She'd been running away for… was it years? She couldn't remember, but she'd known that something wasn't right for a long time. And, all it took was a short duel with a wizard for her siblings to let her go? To become… something? The little gnome sat silently for several long minutes, waiting to see if they would come back, and, when nearly twenty worrying minutes had passed, she literally jumped with joy, letting out a melodic whoop. She spun in a circle and did a little dance before running headlong into Vladimir and hugging him as hard as she could (until she heard a cracking noise). "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, looking up at her dark and quiet savior. "Oh! Uh… sorry. My name is Holly, but I think you knew that already. What's your name, mister?"

"Hello, my name is Vladimir Rasputin. I am Brook's older half-brother and Pyria's oldest son." The wizard greeted before extricating the gnome from his person.

"Will you teach me spells and stuff, maybe?" The blond asked, looking at the three adults before her eyes landed on her new friend's. "And… does this mean that I can spend more time with Brook? I've never…" Holly suddenly grew very quiet as a blush started to overtake her face, neck, and ears. "I don't really have many friends." Or any, she silently added. The other kids in her tribe just barely tolerated her eccentricity. She'd always felt alone, even when surrounded by family.

Pyria smiled sweetly, kneeling down to meet the girl's gaze on her level. "Why don't we get some breakfast before we start our day? I do recall a veritable feast being laid out on the table before your siblings arrived."

They were interrupted by Holly's stomach rumbling, which made the two of them laugh before the group collectively made their way inside for breakfast. The group sat down to find that the food had gone a bit cold, so Nick and Vlad started to cast Prestidigitation on the different dishes in order to warm them. That is, until a small hand tried to mimic the movements of their casting. Nick looked at his step son, and gently elbowed him so that he would stop to help Holly. Nick finished his last casting, and helped dole out food to Brook, who happily dug in, all but shoveling the food into his mouth.

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	3. Fallout

Holly watched another time as Vlad slowed down his somatic movements so that she could follow along. He also repeated the incantation for her several times before finally she tried to warm the tray of bacon. After three tries, she only managed a small amount of heat, but it was still impressive for such a young child, gnomes develop much slower than half-elves, after all, so a fifteen year old gnome really made her only six or seven in human years. Holly's lips pressed together in frustration. She wanted to keep trying, but her stomach was too empty to concentrate. Finally, she looked over at Vladimir. "Can I try again later? I'm too hungry to think straight."

"Da." Vladimir responded in the affirmative. "Is okay."

Pyria waited until about midway through breakfast before she finally looked at her eldest son and asked, "So, how are your adventures? Does this mean that you'll be coming home to stay?"

Vladimir chewed his food slowly before he swallowed. He wiped his mouth, leaving a calm and emotionless mask behind when he was done. "My adventures… are nearly complete. There are just some loose ends to tie up before I can be back for good." He looked at Holly significantly before he spoke again, but the girl didn't notice. She was too wrapped up in eating and chatting merrily with Brook. "Will also need a house to live in with safe workshop space for magic. You need help with finances? Feeding another mouth could be difficult."

"No, no, Vladimir." Nick interrupted, waving a hand to head him off as a stubborn grimace fell over his features. "We'll be fine. I have it well in hand from my adventures. Besides, I have plenty of work, and your mother can make herbal remedies and teas too. Everyone will be well taken care of."

"Okay." Vladimir nodded, wiping his face once more and pushing away from the table. "I have errands to run in town. Will be back soon."

Brook and Holly waved Vladimir off as they continued to eat their meals, none the wiser to the adult conversation since they were so wrapped up in their own world. When the kids were finished, they both helped Nick clean up before rushing outside to play. The sounds of happy children filled the air, and Nick smiled before Pyria wrapped her arms around his middle. "I suppose that they'll need to start going to school if we ever want quiet time around here again."

Nick nodded solemnly. "It seems like it. Holly will be excited, though I'm not so sure about Brook."

"He'll be happy now that he has a friend that will be there with him." Pyria assured her husband. "It was a nice thing that you did today, you know? You helped give that girl a future beyond her tribe."

"She and her talents would have been wasted by them. At best, she could have eventually built siege weapons. Now, her future is her own making." Nick murmured, wondering what the future might have in store for his family.

Pyria swiped a piece of hair out of his face. "When you say things like that, you sound so old and wise, Nick. It's too bad that it's all a total farce." She laughed.

Nick put down the dish he was working on, turning around to wrap his arms around his wife. "Ria, why do you wound me so?"

The pair chuckled merrily, sharing a kiss before they were interrupted by the sounds of… was that gunfire? Pyria's eyes went wide as she sprung into action, shifting into her direwolf form and shooting out the door at an expedited pace. She shot out the door and towards the trouble only to find that the children were making finger guns at each other, and Holly was using Minor Illusion to make the gunshot noises. The wolf almost fell to the ground in relief. There was no danger. No real danger. She lightly padded over to the playing children, nudging into the gnomish girl softly, and bumping her snout into the girl's casting hand.

Holly looked down at the wolf, noticing that it had eyes the same color as Pyria for the first time. She'd seen the elf transform once before when she'd first arrived at the Evenwood home, so she knew who it was. But, it was still strange to consider the wolf a woman. The wolf pointed at her hand, and, in a rather human gesture, shook its head 'no'.

Holly was still confused up until Brooks's dad came from the house, and said, "You scared us with that noise, Holly. We thought that somebody was out here with a real weapon."

"Oh," Holly whimpered. "I'm sorry."

Nick stepped closer, and knelt down in front of the girl. "Hey, it's okay to have fun. We were just afraid that you and Brook were in danger. Next time, no more gun shot sounds. Got it?"

Holly nodded, feeling thoroughly chided. Some tears began to well up in her eyes, and she sniffled. "Yeah. I get it."

Nick sighed, his demeanor softening. "Now, Holly, did I tell you no casting or no making a certain noise?"

"Just the noise. Sorry I scared you. It won't happen again." Holly mumbled quietly.

Nick took in a deep breath and let it out. He was livid. Holly's siblings were so unsupportive that she couldn't even handle a request to not scare the adults in her life with magic. He wanted to hunt them back down and give them a piece of his mind, but he knew that it wouldn't help matters any more to do so. Nor would it really help Holly in the long run. This was going to be complicated. Nick looked over at his wife, the dire wolf and saw a look of sadness and frustration on her eyes. She didn't really know what to do either. Nick pulled the girl into a hug, and held her there for a minute. "I don't want you to be afraid of being yourself with us. It's okay to cast spells. It's okay to build and create new things. The only rules we'll ever have for magic is for you to be safe, and to keep you safe while doing it."

Holly held on to Nick tightly for awhile; he heard sniffles and felt tears on his shirt, but, when the gnome pulled away, she seemed okay. "Thank you, Brook's dad."

Nick looked down at the young girl and gave a big smile. "It's okay. Now, go back and play. Just keep the noise to a minimum." He gave Holly a pat on the back and she nodded in kind, before running off to go and play with her new friend once again. Nick looked at the two children play for a moment, reminiscing about his more youthful days. As his mind pondered the simpler times, he felt the all too familiar sensation of fur rubbing against him. He looked down at his wife, who shifted back into her elven self. "Those two are going to get into a heap of trouble when they get older… Aren't they?" He sighed, already knowing the answer.

Pyria pulled her husband in tighter for a side hug, before giving him a kiss. She pulled away and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yup." She sighed with a smile.

"May the gods be with us when those days come to pass." He looked at his wife for a long, loving moment before speaking. "I think that I'll go into town and see if and when the local school will be able to take them. Will you look after the kids?"

Pyria nodded. "I don't think that I'll ever get used to hearing that phrase. Yes, I'll take care of it. I need to tend the garden anyhow. Now, go, and make sure Vladimir comes home for dinner while you're at it."

Nick kissed her and went inside to grab his things. He grabbed his trusty adventuring gear, not that he really needed it for a trip into town, but old habits were hard to break. When he set off, he followed the path through the fruit trees for a couple miles before a few scattered buildings came into view. The town was very small, but serviceable enough to consider it civilization. Although it could barely even be considered a hamlet, the town had everything anyone could need. It had a small blacksmith whose wares were exceptionally good given the area. The local bakery was decent when it came to making bread, thankfully Pyria was able to make much better tasting food. But today, Nick had a new yet familiar building in his sights, it was The Lonely Oak Academy. When he entered the building, there were a few surprised reactions, but they quickly subsided.

As Nick walked up to the small reception desk, he was greeted by young looking tiefling woman. "Well, well, well… Mr. Evenwood! We have been expecting you! I take it you are here to finally enroll your son? He must be what… Five now?" She smirked, happy to see the gentleman.

"Hello to you too!" Nick smiled. "Yes, I am here to finally enroll Brook into school. As well as another one…" Nick trailed off, trying to come up with the right words, but failing to do so as the woman spoke up before he could react.

"Nicholas Evenwood! You dog! I thought you had settled down. What about Pyria?" The woman went on, but when his wife name came up, Nick quickly stopped her.

"Stop right there." Nick said in a low growl. "It isn't what you think." Nick paused, and the woman cocked her eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. Nick let out a small sigh of relief and carried on with his explanation. "Pyria and myself recently came to care for a young gnomish girl. I won't go into the details right now, but she is gifted in the magical arts. So, I wanted to make sure that she could be looked after and not potentially hurt any other students. Is that possible?" He asked, hoping it was within the realm of possibility.

The tiefling looked over Nick briefly, before shaking her head at the older man. "Nick, of course, we can do that. Half of the children here have some sort of magical prowess. Do you have any idea how bad a druid child can be? Wild shapes are not fun when they are six years old and having a tantrum!" She chided, almost laughing at the man's reply.

The old man smiled, releasing a small chuckle and the two laughed for a good minute at the joke from the tiefling. After catching his breath, he wiped an errant tear from his eye. "Ah, thank you for that, Reita. I needed that laugh."

"No problem, Nick. Now, let me get the forms for you so we can get you and Pyria some free time, shall we?" She said turning to a side cabinet and pulling out two sets of identical forms. "Here you go, just fill all the information you can, and I will take care of the rest, okay?" Reita explained, handing the papers to Nick.

"Thanks. I will have them done in just a few minutes for you." Nick took the papers and sat down at the small table in the corner. He quickly filled out the papers needed for Brook, but, when he began to start in on Holly's papers, he realized that, other than her first name, he knew nothing about her. "Shit." He muttered to himself, this was going to be a small problem. Thankfully he had the sending spell, sadly though, not enough spell slots to be able to get all of the information they needed. He stood up and handed Reita the one complete from. "Here is Brook's information. I will bring the other one back tomorrow; I need to go get some more information." Nick half smiled. He really wanted it done sooner rather than later.

Reita took the papers, reviewed the information, and looked up to Nick. She could tell Nick was struggling for answers. She looked at the clock and saw that there was still several hours before she would need to head home. Then, an idea popped into her head. "Nick, how fast do you think you could get those done?" She asked curiously.

Nick looked at Reita with a confused look. Where was she going with this? "An hour at best. Why?"

She smiled and looked at Nick, almost dumbfounded. "Because, you old geezer. If you finish them and get them to me by the end of the day, I can have them both registered by first thing tomorrow."

"Well, that's good and all, but there is no way that I can get home and back in that much time. I'm not that young anymore. Also, don't call me a geezer!" Nick raised his voice. He was still young at heart. Damn kids.

"Well, of course. Not you! Pyria can… She can fly, right?" She said matter of factly, knowing that the elf was a druid.

There was a long silence as Nick had forgotten what his wife could do for a moment. He had grown so used to it that it had become second nature to him at this point in his life. He smiled and made his way to the door. "Thank you, Reita. You will have it before sundown! I promise!"

"For your sake, you better!" Reita yelled as Nick shut the door behind him.

Nick made his way back home as quickly as his legs could carry him. In short order, he was at his doorstep, and, when he stepped inside, he was greeted with relative quiet, which was slightly off putting, given how loud the kids had been earlier. He made his way out towards the garden, and was relieved to see both Brook and Holly fast asleep under the large apple tree that was the main source of shade in the backyard. On the other side of the yard was Pyria, leaning against a large rock while reading a book with her feet lounging in the water of the small pond that kept most of the vegetables alive. She looked up at her husband and waved him over so that he could sit next to her. Nick smiled and did just that. The weather was nice and he always enjoyed her company. He sat down and gave her a longing kiss, causing a smile to form on him as he pulled away. "So, I am guessing that they tuckered themselves out?" Nick said, looking in the direction of the children.

"Yeah, well they were up most of the night so it is to be expected." She smiled, looking at the two sleeping children. They were sleeping back to back, with a healthy speckling of dirt on them. She never knew a mud fort would take so much work. Pyria looked to Nick who was thumbing through the papers for the school. "So how did it go? I'm guessing that you still need to get some information from Holly, right?"

"Right as always, dear. I realized that we don't know much about her other than her name. We are going to need some information from her before sunset." Nick looked at the sun in the sky. The, it was just after midday, so they still had some time. "Also, I was going to ask if you could bring the papers back to the school later. Reita said she could get the kids all signed up by tomorrow so long as they were back by sundown. But, given my legs, I was hoping that…" Nick was quickly cut off by Pyria who pressed herself against him and into a long kiss.

After a long minute of passionate kissing, Pyria retreated. "Yes, I will do it for you. All you ever have to do is ask." She smiled at the silly man, before standing up and holding out a hand for Nick. She pulled him to his feet, taking the papers from his hand, before walking slowly towards the door of the house. "Now, we can worry about the papers in a little bit. They are asleep, and we have some time to ourselves. Let's use it shall we?" She gave her husband a playful smile before walking into the house with an alluring sway to her hips. Nick, taking the hint, followed her into their home, letting the kids get some much needed sleep.

After an hour, Pyria and Nick came out of the house, feeling relieved. Now, they needed to get to the real business. Pyria walked over to Holly and gently woke her from her nap. The young gnome awoke with a start, quickly surveying her surroundings. Pyria placed her hand on the startled gnome's shoulder. "Calm down, sweetie. It's only me." Pyria was a little off put by the sudden second nature movements of the young girl, but remembered what her life was like up until this morning. She had time to outgrow things. "Nick and I need to ask you a few questions so that you will be able to go to school in the next few weeks. Okay?" She smiled.

Holly looked at Brook's mother and calmed down. It took her a moment to fully process her words, but, once she did, she jumped up excitedly. "Yes! I will answer any question you ask!" She yelled excitedly, waking up Brook in the process.

Pyria an Nick sighed in unison, knowing that the day had gotten longer and harder than it needed to be. "Okay, Holly, no need to yell. We just have a few simple questions is all. First of all, when is your birthday?"

Holly thought about it for a minute, still giddy with excitement. "My birthday is the 19th of Uktar." As she told Pyria her birthday, Nick wrote it down on the paper making sure it was legalable.

"Okay, and how old are you?" The elf asked again.

"I'm 15 years old." The blonde girl smiled widely.

"Any allergies?" The elf asked, both for the paper and so that she didn't accidentally kill her with her cooking.

Holly shook her head. "Nope. I like everything!"

A smile crawled across Pyria's lips, if only she could get Brook to eat everything. "Well, that's all I can think of. Is there anything that we are missing Nick?" She asked, turning to her husband.

Nick looked over the papers to make sure it was all accounted for before looking back to his wife. "It looks like we are all set! She will be in school in about a tenday." Nick signed off on the last few places that needed to be finished before handing them to Pyria.

"Okay, I will be back in a little while. See you soon." She carefully grabbed the papers before transforming into a bird and flying away towards the school.

As Nick watched his wife fly off into the sunset, Brook finally came to his senses. He looked around, finding that his mother was nowhere to be seen. "Where is mom?"

Before Nick could even answer, Holly had turned to Brook. "She is bringing my papers to town so that I can go to school with you!" She said jumping with joy.

Brooks eyes lit up, and he hugged Holly. "Yay! We get to be best friends all the time!"

The two of them jumped around, excited with the news that they would be playing together for a long time. As they played and enthused with one another, a tall figure appeared next to Nick, before sitting down next to him. "Okay, I am back. All of my affairs are in order." Vladimir said simply, causing Nick to jump at his sudden appearance.

"Vlad! You can't just appear out of nowhere! At least knock! I'm not sure that I will be able to handle that for too much longer." Nick took a few deep breaths, calming himself before he turned back to Vladimir. "So, you got everything in order? Good. So did we. They should be starting school with the next tenday." Nick looked back over to the children, and was shocked that they still had so much energy.

Vladimir shrugged, "Sorry. I don't realize that I do it. Honestly, is like second nature." Vladimir peeked outside to see the kids playing, calling out. "Holly, will you come here a moment? Would like to speak with you."

The girl turned around with a huge smile on her face, careening forward at top speed until she jumped at the last second, landing in front of Vladimir with a childish salute. Vlad smiled, and, without any further ado, he pulled out a small package, handing it to her. "This is for you."

Holly held the package in her hands in wonder. Her eyes were wide, and she started to tear up. "What is it?"

"It is a gift. If you open it, you will find out. Will not ruin surprise." Vlad responded, urging her to open the paper wrapping on the simple box. He stepped uncomfortably from foot to foot, clearly uncertain about what to do to help the emotional girl.

Nick saw the confusion on the girl's face, and realized that she had never received a gift before. He resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. Those barbarians really fucked up this poor child. He could tell that they had good intentions, but it obviously did more harm than good. "Holly, you've never received a present before, have you?" He asked quietly, grabbing the girl's shoulder lightly and rubbing her back in a reassuring gesture. "Vlad is giving you that box to open. It's a gift for you to have. All your own."

"R-really? This is for me to keep?" She asked, excitement setting in as she began to tear open the packaging. When she was through the paper, she quickly opened the lid to reveal a pair of small boots her size. They were a dark brown leather that would last her quite some time. Now, she actually cried. She wasn't upset by her confusion now. This time, she was actually floored by the contents of the package. Neither of the adults expected this reaction, and Holly noticed their clear confusion. "Um, when I started to run away, Glis took away my shoes to keep me closer to home, I guess. It worked for awhile until I got used to not wearing them. Then, I started to run away more. It's been.. a few years since I had shoes of my own. You trust me not to run away this much?"

Nick frowned, thinking about what to say. Finally, he found the words. "The reasons you were running are gone now, so I don't expect that it will be a problem."

Holly jumped into Vladimir's arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Vlad just patted her back softly, looking uncomfortable as he extricated himself from her grip. "You are welcome, little one. Now, go play. Dinner will be ready soon."

Holly shoved her feet into the shoes before running outside to play with Brook, who was digging a hole near the garden. They giggled and talked excitedly about going to school together, and, by the time Pyria made it home, they were both covered in dirt from head to toe. Pyria tried to be angry at the pair, but it was hard to do when they were just so happy to have their first friend. She sighed, and ordered Brook inside to take the first bath. While he was doing that, Vladimir once again showed Holly how to cast prestidigitation, and, this time, she was successful, managing to remove a portion of the layer of dirt coating her body. She tried the spell several more times with varying levels of success, but it was still progress.

Dinner was a noisy affair with the two kids asking Vladimir all sorts of questions about his adventures that mostly involved answers that would have been inappropriate for children's ears. The elf did a decent job of answering them without giving too much detail, but Pyria and Nick could tell that there was more involved in his adventures off in the Allied Nations than politics.

Holly, having been temporarily cleaned with prestidigitation, took her bath after dinner, and Pyria helped get her cleaned up, unsure of what her tribe's standard of 'clean' was. She gave the girl a shirt and pajama pants from Brook's wardrobe to wear, and vowed that they would go shopping for girls clothes in the morning. It wouldn't do for the girl to wear boy's clothing all the time. Besides, Holly was bigger than Brook, and his clothes didn't exactly fit her well. Nick put both Holly and Brook to bed with a bedtime story; they were sharing Brook's bed while they waited for an order from Vladimir for a new bed to be delivered. For now, they would have to share Brook's room, which wasn't ideal, but Vladimir's house would be complete within a month since he'd purchased an existing structure and it only required renovations.

The adults all bid each other goodbye, and Vladimir quickly teleported himself back to Kyralia to get business settled, promising that he would return by the month's end. Nick and Pyria watched him go before stepping back inside with weary looks on their faces; they briefly checked in on the quietly snoozing children before going to bed for the night.


	4. School Days

As Nick and Pyria had said before, both Brook and Holly had started school within a tenday. Things were a blur of activity around the house, getting Holly an entirely new wardrobe so that she would look decent and purchasing other necessities for a child to cram into their already full house. Brook had the more annoying task of making sure his clothes all matched, much to the dismay of both of his parents. Alas, it was all for naught when they had finished the first full day of school, both of the children were thoroughly exhausted, and their clothes ruined with dirt and muck from the day's activities. They slumped through the door and fell fast asleep where they laid, still wearing the disheveled garments.

The next few days were better for the friends. They were quickly finding themselves getting used to the schedule and routine of school. The mornings were hard for both of them, but, once they left the house, they found themselves more awake and talkative. By the time that they reached the school, they were fully awake and ready to take on the day. They would see each other off to their respective classes and go about their day.

Holly's days were a blur of activity and boredom. Her classes consisted of making sure that she was capable of reading and writing common, which she was more than capable of, and the competancy tests were just tedious to her. Her favorite part of the day was lunch time. There, she could eat with Brook and found out that she was quickly becoming popular among the students. When they found out that she could cast a cantrip, they all wanted to see, which she happily agreed to. After lunch, Holly would find herself immersed in learning about other parts of the world, and the people from there. By the time the day would let out, she would talk Brook's ears off about what she had learned.

Brook's days were more mundane in comparison to his friends. He would go through the motions of each day learning the alphabet, and getting ahold of basic math, which he had trouble with. Some of the lessons were hard for him, but he powered through. His lunch was where he would be the happiest especially since he was best friends with 'the girl who could cast spells'. He would be elated that they were excited to see what she could do, often finding her for them. When lunch was over, he would bid his friend adieu, and go back to class, mostly to draw pictures of ships and the sea in his notebook. And, when he would walk home, he would be delighted to hear his friend's stories of the day.

When they got home, though, was where they were most happy, they could play together. They could play together at school, but would oftentimes get interrupted by someone wanting to see Holly cast minor illusion. At home, though, they could have as much fun as they desired, playing knights and squires, chasing each other with sticks, or just simply playing in the dirt. The world was their oyster. All was going well for the two, until Vladimir came back.

They both knew that Holly would be living with Vlad and that he didn't live that far away, but it was hard for them to get used to the idea, at first. There were tears in both of their eyes when most of Holly's things were moved into the small cottage that was just down the road. Nick, Pyria, and Vlad did their best to console the two, telling them that the only real difference was that Holly would be staying with Vlad at night. Other than that, nothing would change. It took only a few days for the new routine to take effect, and, once it had, the two were near inseparable again. In fact, they became even more close. They would come home and get their homework done, helping each other when needed. Then, once the real was complete, they began to go play outside up until Vladimir would arrive for Holly's arcane lessons. Brook would be dismayed that their games would stop, but, thankfully, Vlad's lessons were quick and simple, being kept to the basics for the time being. After which time the lessons were completed, everyone would sit down as a family and eat together. Once the food was complete, Brook and Holly would play together again before they would have to make their way to their respective beds. The next day, the cycle would repeat, and the friends found themselves liking their new routine.

The days weren't without their share of complications, though; the first thing that was becoming abysmally clear was the fact that Vlad didn't know how to cook. Within the first month, Holly had gone to Brook's house to get breakfast on more than one occasion, much to the dismay of the wizard. After the seventh time, he realized that enough was enough. He needed to learn how to cook. When Holly and Brook would go off to school, Vlad would go to his mother for lessons. He would take many notes, and he found that putting it into practice was difficult to say the least. Not cooking for over a century would do that to anyone. The first few attempts were sad to say the least; he had managed to mess up scrambled eggs on more than one occasion. When he had finally made his first successful meal, he was delighted with himself, and, for many weeks after, Holly would eat the meal until she was sick of it. Then, the process would repeat, but at a much quicker rate, as Vlad had actually found cooking to be very therapeutic to him. It was like science, but it was edible. It made him want to try new food, which meant he was starting to put on a few pounds. He wasn't used to eating so much. His diet prior was mostly meat, bread, and water, the essentials. Holly had no issues burning off the food since she was young and her metabolism was much higher than his.

The next big hurdle was Vlad getting used to the company. For many years, Vlad had his familiar, Benji, which was a plant. So, not much interaction was needed. Now that Holly was around, he needed to start reminding himself that he needed to actually talk to her about things that weren't magic related. The first few nights were painfully awkward for the both of them with Holly asking questions about what Vlad did for a living besides magic, and Vlad having to painfully figure out how to explain it to the young girl without scarring her for life. But, thankfully, he was a fast learner, and he would begin to ask simple questions about her day, which Holly would go into detail about. What her day was like, what she did, and, oftentimes, ideas for new inventions. The wizard would use the information he gained from these conversations in order to purchase supplies for her crafting, which he would give to her only on the weekends so that she couldn't overwork herself.

Other than the odd complications that arisen with Vlad as her mentor and guardian, things were simple at home. At school, however, things were slightly more annoying. Over the time that they had been there, some distance that had grown between Brook and Holly. More and more often, they were getting to spend less and less time together. While at school, Holly was starting to become more popular, while Brook felt like he was being pushed to the sidelines. It had come to a head while the two of them were making their way home. Holly was talking as per usual, but Brook was being unusually quiet. As they walked, Holly quickly stood in front of Brook and stopped him dead in his tracks. "Why are you being so quiet? Normally, you are talking to me and telling me about what you did, but, today, you haven't said anything. What's wrong?" She demanded, wanting to see her friend smile.

Brook looked up at his friend from his feet. "Are we still friends?" Brook asked worriedly, hoping they were.

Holly was shocked by the half-elf's words. It felt so sudden to her. "Yeah, of course, we are! Why would you even ask that question?" She asked looking into Brook's eyes.

Brook looked back at the ground again. His voice began to waver when he spoke. "Then, how come we never hang out at school anymore?" He sniffed. "I have no one to talk to anymore. I am all by myself." A tear ran down Brooks face, causing Holly to frown. This was the first time she had ever seen her friend cry, and the sight of his tears made her want to cry too.

Holly looked at her friend, setting down her things before pulling Brook into a hug. "We are hanging out right now, aren't we?" She said, rubbing his back. Brook sniffled before nodding. "Then, that's all that matters silly. I know that we haven't been able to play together while at school, but, when we get home, we have tons of fun right?" She said, pulling Brook's face up to see his eyes.

When his blue eyes met hers, Brook softly nodded, admitting defeat, but he still looked distraught. "Yeah, but I miss getting to spend time with you. You are my best friend, after all." Brook looked away from Holly, but she kept holding him tight.

Holly held Brook tight, not wanting to let go. She felt the same way, but they were more than friends. "We are family Brook. We eat together, play together, even share the same room sometimes. We are family." Holly smiled, feeling it was the right thing to say.

Brook's eyes went wide, and then a faint smile peaked his lips. "Thanks, Holly. It means a lot to hear you say that." He said, wiping away a few tears, before his expression became more stern. "You need to promise me that, no matter what happens, we will always be friends and always have fun together. Promise?" He said extending his hand outward.

Holly took a step back from him, giving Brook a humongous smile. She extended her arm out and grabbed his hand firmly. "I promise. We will always be friends, and always have fun together." She said with fervor, causing the two to nod in agreement. She paused in thought for a moment before a realization hit her. "We also have summer vacation in a few months! We can hang out a whole bunch then!" Holly began jumping with joy, as the thought of games and fun filled her head.

Brook began to jump as well, the same thoughts filled his head. "We can have sleepovers again!"

In near perfect unison, they yelled out in excitement. They both agreed that, when summer started, they would have as much fun as they could muster.

Very quickly, the days became weeks, and the weeks became months. After not too much time, they were both on their first summer vacation, which both Holly and Brook were ecstatic to the umpteenth degree. For the first time since they had met, they could spend the nights staying up and playing together. Oftentimes, the pair would cause Brook's parents and Vlad- if Brook stayed the night in Vlad's house- to scold them for being too loud.

They found out together that, between the two of them, and many swimming trips that Brook was the better swimmer. Holly didn't mind, though, as her tinkering began to become more intricate, making slightly bigger and more elaborate contraptions.

There were days when their plans would be foiled to the weather, but they made the best of it that they could. What they both found odd, though, was how Brook never seemed to be bothered the storms. Even Brook's parents found it slightly odd, even though they were eternally grateful that they were never woken up by their son due to the inclement weather. Even when he was a but a wee baby, he would sleep through massive thunderstorms without so much as flinching at the thunder and lightning. Instead, he would sleep peacefully through it, and, now, when a storm had been right over head, causing Holly to get awoken from her sleep, Brook would be sleeping soundly. Thankfully, though, the storms would never last for too long, and the two would be able to go back to playing outside within a day at worst.

Soon enough, the summer had ended, but the two friends knew all would be right with the world. They could get through whatever life threw at them for the time being. They were children after all, and, besides, now, they were family. They would always have each other.


	5. The Grove

It was the beginnings of spring, the snow had all but melted away, and the trees and flowers were starting to bloom. The weather was starting to warm up slightly, and Brook and Holly were in still in school, much to their parents' excitement. They had a spring break coming up soon enough that the kids were looking forward to. They would have a couple of weeks off, which Vlad was dreading. Over the last few years, Holly had become troublesome. She would have temper tantrums, and throw fits when she would get her spell work wrong. It was taking its toll on the elf, and two weeks of them in close quarters in the house together sounded awful.

Vlad needed a solution, so he went to his mother's house for guidance. When he arrived, he was greeted by Nick who was older now and limping heavily. Vlad quickly tried to help him, but was shooed away by the older gentleman who was still young at heart. "Vladimir, I might be old, but, the gods as my witness, I will keep moving until I can move no more." He stated, glaring over at the elf with judging eyes.

Vlad sighed, Nick was, if nothing else, a determined old man, who didn't know how and when to quit. He held up his hands in defeat. "Alright. You win." He sighed.

"Good." Nick grinned. "Now, why are you here? I'm guessing that you didn't come just to chat with me." He joked.

"You are correct. I am here to talk to mother. I need a way to deal with Holly." The elf let out a long, exasperated sigh. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he looked only slightly more calm.

Nick patted Vladimir on the back, and lead him to the kitchen table, motioning for the elf to sit before turning towards the front door. "I'll go get her." The older human knew that haunted look all too well, he had dealt with Brook enough times to know what Vlad was feeling right now. Nick slowly but surely made his way into the garden, and found his wife hard at work getting some vegetables for tonight's dinner. "Sweetie, Vlad is here. He needs help with Holly." He explained rather matter of factly.

Pyria looked at her husband with a smile. "Okay, I will come inside in just a few minutes. I just need to pick these last few things from here beforehand." She wiped a bit of sweat from her brow with the back of her forearm, and leaned forward, getting back to work.

Nick smiled, letting her finish up. He walked back inside, and found a chair at the table next to Vlad. The two made idle chit chat as they waited for Pyria to finish up and join them. Soon enough, she came back inside, greeting her son cordially. "Hello, Vladimir, what brings you over today?" She inquired, placing her haul of greens down on the kitchen counter.

Vlad sat upright in his chair, like he was about to give a presentation. "Holly has become… troublesome these last few years, and I need guidance on how to deal with her." Vlad explained simply, before his gaze slowly faded off into the distance. "Also, how to get a break from her. Would be nice to have day off." He finished with a hollow voice.

Pyria giggled at her eldest son. "Oh, Vlad… If you need a break from her, just ask. We can watch her for you." Pyria smiled comfortingly at him. Her face stiffened slightly as she continued. "As for her being troublesome, well, there is a simple solution. Simply tell to stop misbehaving or you will stop with her studies." She deadpanned. Her face held a small amount of distaste within her features, but she stubbornly stuck with her explanation, unwilling to rescind her judgement.

"Or spank her." Nick chimed in, looking up from his book.

Vlad looked at the two curiously for a moment. "Are you sure that is right thing to do?" He said, unsure of himself.

Pyria simply nodded while Nicholas carefully set his book down. "Vlad, I know that you are nervous interacting with people, let alone a small girl that isn't really your own child, but you are her guardian. It is your job to make sure that Holly gets raised right." He sighed, thinking about how the two of them were raising Brook. "It might not be what you like, but it is what needs to be done."

"Sorry, sweetie, but I agree with Nick." Pyria steadfastly nodded.

Vlad hung his head. He didn't want to do that. He didn't want to hurt Holly. The girl's siblings had done enough damage with their harsh punishments and attitudes for a lifetime, and, besides, he himself rather enjoyed their magical lessons and studies they shared together. "This will help?" He asked, looking up at them appraisingly with a look that begged for reassurance.

"Sadly, yes. If you do it right, though, you should never have to do it again." Nick grimaced, nodding with certainty.

Vlad thought it over quietly to himself. It did make the most logical sense; all actions have consequences, and, until now, Holly had never experienced the negative reactions her decisions could elicit. The wizard nodded, letting out a breath that he hasn't realized that he was holding. If it would help him with Holly, Vlad would begrudgingly do it. He stood up, and thanked the two parents before turning to make his leave. With any luck, Holly wouldn't need to be reprimanded, or, at least, that's the best outcome he could hope for.

The next few weeks passed, and spring break had arrived. Brook and Holly were practically vibrating with energy and excitement when they awoke on their first day off. They were both eager to go and play together. Holly beelined for Brook's house, once breakfast was finished, and, when Brook answered the door, the two hugged before running to the backyard to play. They goofed around and played for only but an hour before Brook accidentally careened into Pyria's garden. The two stopped in their tracks as they saw the damage that had been done. A moment later, they turned to see an incredibly livid looking druid. Pyria stepped over to assess the damage. What she found was disappointing to her, several of her crops were decimated with no hope of bringing them back without uprooting and beginning again from scratch. Others could be fixed, but it would take time. She turned to the two of them, and looked at them with frustration clear in her expression. She needed no words for them to know what she meant. "What happened here?"

"Mom, I'm sorry. It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it." Brook frowned, immediately taking the blame for falling into the garden without thinking even though both of them had been playing.

Holly immediately nodded in agreement, not wanting her friend to get in trouble. "Yeah, his feet slipped, and he fell into the garden. Brook didn't do it on purpose." She explained with a quivering lip.

The elven woman assessed the two children intensely, making sure they were telling the truth. Her gaze hovered over them for several long, silent seconds, and she found that they were being truthful, of course, they were. They would never do anything malicious; small pranks, perhaps, but nothing harmful. She raised her hand to the bridge of her nose, and, pinching the appendage, Pyria sighed. "It's fine… just- It's going to take a long time to fix..." She trailed off, looking towards the mess that her garden had become.

The pair ran up to her, hugging her as tight as they could. "We're sorry!" They chimed in unison.

Brook looked up to his mother. "It won't happen again." He raised his hand, extending a finger and dragging it from his right shoulder to his left torso, repeating the gesture opposite from the other shoulder, effectivity 'crossing' his heart. "I promise."

"Yeah, it will never happen again. I promise as well." Holly agreed, wobbling forward and back from tiptoe to heel anxiously.

Pyria gently patted their heads, before sighing. "You're right. This will never happen again. From now on, you two will need to go find a new place to play." She explained softly, attempting to reign in her anger. Sure didn't want this ultimatum, but she had no other choice, given the current state of her crops. "Now, go find somewhere else to play while I clean up this mess." She sighed deeply. The children, needing no other prompting, heeded her words, and ran off on an 'adventure' to find a new place to play.

They searched around, turning this into an expedition through the jungle. They looked high and low, trying to find the perfect place to call their own, and, after nearly an hour of searching, they found their new sanctuary. It was not too far away from the beaten path that connected their two houses, but it was secluded enough that it could be easily missed by any passers by. The grove that they found was no more than 50 feet wide at it farthest point, and had plenty of grass for them to run around in. Almost smack dab in the middle was a large birch tree, that gave plenty of shade to the area. The two stood in awe for a moment, just taking in the pure beauty of the area.

Holly looked at Brook and grabbed his hand. "Come on, then. Let's play!" She urged, dragging Brook into the clearing. Brook followed, and the two began to play tag for a while before taking a break to breathe under the cool shaded area under the birch tree, simply enjoying the feeling of the cool grass and the light breeze blowing in their hair. Holly looked over at Brook. "Hey, Brook?

"Yeah?" He replied, looking towards her curiously.

"I really like this place. We should hang out here all the time." She smiled, wanting to spend more time with her friend.

"Yeah, I do, too. Let's do that." Brook agreed wholeheartedly.

So, with that, the two played all the way up until the sunset threatened to fall below the horizon before begrudgingly running back to their homes. They came back every day playing, relaxing, and even drawing or reading together in companionable silence. The first tenday went by far too quickly for their taste. They wanted to make sure that the next tenday went by slower, deciding to spend all their days playing as many games as possible, and they did a pretty good job at it too. They were exhausted by the day's end, going home and barely even having the chance to finish their dinner before passing out. All was going well up until the last few days. The two were playing tag, running around desperately trying to catch one another. Brook was starting to outrun Holly, and it was starting to make her mad. She was desperately trying to catch Brook, and, when she did, she had accidentally tagged him too hard, making him veer sideways and fall rather hard.

"You're it!" She yelled in victory.

Brook rubbed his side. The fall had hurt him quite a bit, and he'd likely have a big purple bruise to show off tomorrow. "Ow! That hurt!" He yelled with a frown, glaring at Holly with frustration and annoyance.

"I'm sorry! But, you're still it!" She called out, backing away from him tentatively.

Brook furrowed his brow and stood up before sprinting at her, and pushing her with some force. "You're it." He growled angrily at her.

Holly lost her balance, falling over from the push and landing on her bottom. "Hey! That's not fair." She yelled, voice starting to get heavy with exasperation.

"That's for pushing me!" He yelled back at her.

"But, you pushed me! Boys aren't supposed to hurt girls." Holly huffed, standing up and stomping a foot petulantly.

Brook began to pout until his anger won out. "You pushed me first, and it hurt!" He pressed wanting her to react.

"I said I was sorry. I'm sorry. Alright?!" Holly's voice was a high pitched squeak, and it didn't sound apologetic at all. She started expectantly tapping her toe as she waited for Brook to apologize.

"You're not sorry! You meant to do it!" He pointed a finger at her accusatorily.

"No, I didn't!" She lied through her teeth, unhappy with being verbally put down by her best friend. "And, you're not being very nice."

"Good. You always do things you say you don't do. Like all your stupid gadgets!" Brook got angrier, reminded of the time she had spent working on them, rather than hanging out with him.

Holly actually reeled back as if she'd been slapped. This was the first time Brook had ever seemed upset about her inventions. She was starting to turn red in her anger, and tears started to form in her eyes. "You're just jealous because my gadgets make me popular, and you're not."

Brook's face turned red, and he glared at Holly. He took several deep breaths before he boiled over in furious anger. "Well, at least, I don't need gadgets and magic to make friends!" He yelled loudly, almost throwing out his voice.

"I. Do. Not!" Holly growled impressively for such a small gnome. Normally, a growl like that was reserved only for her more barbaric sister. "I made friends with you without magic or gadgets."

"You made a butterfly net! That was the first thing you did! Remember?" Brook said with tears in his eyes now. He wasn't sure if they were actually friends now. Was it all just a lie or was she just using him?

"So, what? You're not my friend anymore because I helped you catch butterflies?" The tears that had been building up started to spill now, and they left ugly streaks down her face as they fell. "I don't want to play anymore. I'm going home."

"Good. I don't want to play anymore either." He grumbled, turning and marching home between sniffles. Sometime during his walk, tears began to fall, dropping to the ground and leaving a small, wet trail in his wake.

Holly sprinted home, using the password from one of Vlad's spells to let herself into the building, and slamming the door behind her. Vladimir looked up from reading at the kitchen table with his familiar, Benji, and saw that Holly looked upset. The wizard had discussed setting boundaries with his mother and Nick recently. So, he bravely told her, "Do not slam the door. It did nothing to you."

"What?! So, you're mad at me too? How come everybody around here hates me!" Holly screamed, stomping her way to her room and slamming that door for good measure.

Vladimir sighed as she did this, and walked to the girl's door, finding it locked. With a slight eye roll, he cast knock and the door swung open. He stepped into the room and made himself loom over the girl, and she whimpered at the sight of his intimidating figure. "For not following orders, there will be no magic teachings for one tenday."

"What?" Holly's tears started to fall anew. "No… No. No. No. Please…? I didn't mean it. I was just really angry. Brook-"

"No buts. We will revisit in a tenday." Vlad said, turning around and sweeping out of the door as the gnome let out an ear rending scream that he was certain did some sort of psychic damage. It pierced his ears that painfully. This would be a long tenday.

Brook ran into his house and beelined for his room. Nick noticed the young boy crying and stood to follow. Brook fell on his bed, and cried. He looked over in the corner of his room, and saw the butterfly net Holly had made years before when they'd first met. He felt his face turn red, and he stood up and dashed over to it, before breaking it in half over his knee, throwing the pieces across his room. Brook fell on the ground crying as his father strode in.

Nick passively observed the mess Brook had created, and looked at Brook. "Could you explain to me what in the nine hells is going on in here?" He demanded, aggravation apparent in his tone.

Brook sobbed, not moving from the spot where he'd collapsed at the center of the room. "H-Holly and I got into a fight…" He whimpered out in a shuddering breath, before he caught his breath to speak again. "And, now, we aren't friends anymore." He practically convulsed with sobs, burying his face into his arms on the floor m

"What do you mean you aren't friends anymore? What did you two fight about?" Nick said, walking up next to Brook and kneeling down.

Brook sniffled, looking up at his dad. "She just uses her magic and gadgets to make friends. That's it!" Brook whined loudly, throwing himself into his father's arms and hugging Nick tight.

Now, it all made sense to Nick. They'd just had a childish fight. He sighed rubbing son's back reassuringly. "Brook that's not true. You and Holly are two of the best friends I have ever seen. It would take a lot more than a fight for you two to not be friends anymore." He said comfortingly, using his most soothing voice.

Brook shook his head manically. "No, when we first met, she made that." He explained, pointing to the ruined scraps of net in the room. "That's how she makes all her friends… Even me." Brook began to cry anew, at the thought.

Nick sighed, raising Brook's face so that he could see it. Father's eyes met son's eyes, and, for a moment, all was quiet and right. "That is a load of garbage." Nick said slowly, making Brook's sniffling stop. "Yeah, she did make that for you, but how many other things did she make?" He asked, looking around the room for any of Holly's other inventions and finding none. "That's the only one I see. So, Holly makes one thing for you, which you kept, and after a small fight, you break it on her? That's rude." Nick raised a disappointed eyebrow at his son.

Brook looked at his dad and stammered. "But... we…"

"But, nothing… You two have done plenty together, and will keep doing more long after I am gone. So, trust me, when I say this, Brook, you both will be fine." He explained, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "You two will be good as new in a few days, mark my words. So, just calm down okay?"

Brook nodded. "Yeah, I can do that." He sniffled, feeling better. He looked over at the broken net. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Brook?" Nick asked.

"Can you please fix that for me?" He begged, pointing towards the larger pieces of net.

Nick smiled, "Can do, buddy." He stood up and picked up the broken butterfly net. He held the pieces together closely, and, then, cast mending on it, fixing it in a minute. "There. Good as new." He said giving the net back to Brook.

Brook gave a smile, and hugged his father. "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem. Now, clean up the rest of this room, and, when you are done, go apologize to Holly." He stated, turning and leaving the boy to clean his mess.

Brook quickly did as he was told, cleaning his room to the best of his abilities. When he was finished, however, he saw that it was already dark out, so he would have to talk to Holly tomorrow.

Holly crawled out of her bed with a splitting headache. She'd cried herself to sleep the night before, and hadn't even eaten dinner. This was not a good start to her day, and, what made it worse, was that she wouldn't have magic lessons for the next tenday. She was very, very mad at Brook for that. She walked across the hallway and freshened up for the day before getting dressed and setting down for breakfast, which she ate seconds and thirds of. Vladimir was even impressed by that, but he said nothing.

When breakfast was done, Holly sighed, knowing that she couldn't avoid Brook forever. Maybe, he'd thought about yesterday and decided to apologize. She wished that Vlad was easier to talk to about these things, but it would be best if she didn't ask. He would just make it weird. She bid the wizard goodbye for the day, and trudged her way to the grove where she and Brook had been meeting each day during spring break. But, each step filled her with dread and remorse. She started to feel like a terrible friend. She had said some really mean things to Brook yesterday, things that she knew would hurt him, and she had been the one to push him first the day before. She was just so competitive. She liked winning and being the best, but she was so small that it was impossible for her to be those things. By the time she got to her destination, she was starting to sniffle. She noticed some sounds coming from nearby and looked up to see Brook, sitting against the birch tree.

Upon seeing him, she dropped all her things and threw herself into his arms, crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Brook. I'm so sorry. I love you, and I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean it. Please forgive me."

Brook looked up to see her jump at him and begin crying. He hugged her tightly. "No, I am the one who should be sorry. I said some really mean things yesterday. I want you to still be my friend." He said holding her, with tears glistening in his eyes.

"Best friends." She corrected, hugging him tighter.

"Yeah. Best friends." He smiled, sniffling slightly, but glad that she wasn't mad at him anymore.

"I got grounded from magic lessons for a week for slamming my door." She mourned, finally letting Brook go enough to let him breathe properly.

"I'm sorry. That sucks." Brook commiserated. He knew just how much she enjoyed magic. He turned and picked up something he thought would cheer her up. "I brought this." He said, holding up the butterfly net.

Holly smiled widely. "You kept that silly thing? After all this time?"

Brook blushed. "Well, yeah… It was the first thing my best friend ever gave me." He smiled back at her.

"I think that I can make a few adjustments." She offered her hand out to him.

Brook handed her the net, eager to see what she could do. "Go for it."

Holly quickly got to work, 'fixing' the net. Really, she was just making the weave a little tighter. The butterflies this time of year were much smaller than in late spring when they had met. "And, done!"

He carefully took the net from her, before making a few experimental swings. "Yeah, I think that there won't be a butterfly we can't catch with this." He said smiling widely at her.

"I bet that you'll catch a dozen of them before high sun." She smiled.

"Deal." He said, running off, attempting to catch as many as he could before the time Holly said.

Holly laughed happily as she watched Brook run to beat her time trial, and she knew that all was well between them. They might argue or disagree, but they would always have each other.


	6. Hello Goodbye

AN:

Hello everybody,

This chapter contains major character death, loss, and grieving.

Thanks for reading,  
~MA

* * *

A few years had passed, and Holly and Brook were getting older. They weren't playing as many games together, but they still hung out all the same. Nick was also getting older. His limp had progressed, and, now, he was bedridden. However, that didn't stop him from doing other things; his body might have been failing, but his mind was just as sharp as it always had been. He could often be found surrounded by books and papers, either reading, writing, or sketching things. He would be constantly doing something, staying up until sleep took him, or until Pyria would put him to sleep. It was a late night, when Pyria had found him up writing in one of the many notebooks that surrounded him. She looked at him and sighed, "Nick, please get some sleep. It is almost two in the morning." She said, walking over to sit beside him.

Nick looked up at his wife. He smiled at her, in all of the time that they a had been together, he had aged decades. Yet, she hadn't aged a day. He envied that about her. Elven magic was something that had always fascinated him, he wanted to look into it at one point, but, now, that seemed impossible. "Sorry, dear. I was just trying to get some words down on paper is all." He sighed, scribbling off the last of a sentence before closing his book.

"I just don't want you to overwork yourself is all." She worriedly replied.

Nick let out a yawn, as he felt tiredness hit him. "I am trying not to, believe it or not. It's just hard to have so much more to tell, and not enough time to tell it." He frowned, knowing his time was running out.

"Please don't talk that way." Pyria held his hand, gripping it. "You have plenty of time left. You just need to focus your efforts is all." She looked around at the piles of books that had taken up residence on the bed. She knew well enough that he didn't have much time left. She just didn't want to see him struggle to get his entire life's story down.

Nick sighed. "Pyria, we both know that, that is not the case." He whispered solemnly, holding his wife's hand tightly. "We always knew this was going to happen…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.

"We just thought that we would have more time together." She said, finishing his thought. She felt a few tears fill her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting him to see them.

Nick saw the tears, and his brow furrowed slightly. He put on a smile for his wife's sake. "Hey! I said this once before, and I will say this one last time. I don't want to see any crying. I have lived a long, full life. That should never be mourned over, that should be celebrated!" He smiled widely.

Pyria smiled, and steadied herself. "I know. You are right. You are very rarely wrong."

"It is a blessing and curse." He joked, letting out another yawn.

"Okay, now, you have to get some sleep." Pyria leaned over Nick and kissed him good night before tucking him into the covers. "Sleep well."

"Thank you, dear." Nick smiled back, kissing her softly before getting some much needed sleep.

A few weeks had passed, and Nick's condition was getting worse. He had begun to start coughing more and more, and his breathing was becoming heavier. He was learning all to quickly that his time was nearing, and he still had a lot to do. Too much to do, and nowhere near enough time. There was no way he could get all of his stories on paper, but that didn't concern him; he was more worried about what he was leaving behind. Brook was the first thing on his mind. He knew he wouldn't get to see him get married or have children. He just wanted him to be happy, and Brook had a great friend that Nick knew would keep him out of trouble if he ever got into it. And, there was always Holly, the little gnomish girl who quite literally ran into their lives. She was as smart as they come, maybe even smarter than Vladimir. They had each other, and Nick knew they would always look out for each other's backs.

Nick asked Pyria if she could pick him up a few things, and handed her a small list. She looked at it curiously, but did as asked. When she came back, he thanked her, and asked if she could get the kids for him. He had a few things to give them. Pyria knew well enough that he would ask something like that. She begrudgingly got them and lead them to Nick.

Brook had seen his father like this for some time, but he still didn't fully comprehend it. "Hey, Dad. What's up? You wanted to see us?" He asked nonchalantly.

Nick smiled. He was glad that Brook still treated him like normal. It was a relief to hear. "Hey, guys. I wanted to give you two something." He smiled at the two of them.

Holly looked at Nick curiously. "But, it's neither of our birthdays. Why are we getting stuff?" She asked curiously.

"Ever the thinker, aren't you Holly?" He joked, eliciting a smile from the gnome. "Just because it isn't your birthdays doesn't mean I can't get you two something. Now, come here and get what I got you." Nick said, waving them over.

Holly jumped in front of Brook, and smiled widely. "Me first." She grinned eagerly.

Nick laughed, coughing slightly. "Okay, okay." He leaned over to the side, and picked up a large stack of papers. They were all neatly wrapped together, and all of them had a grid pattern on them. He carefully placed them in her hands. "Here you go. I got enough engineering paper for you to last you at least a few years. Use them well. It should help with your inventions." He smiled widely.

Holly's eyes lit up as she looked at the stack of papers in her hands. She looked them over with an analytical eye. The grid was very precise, and she could tell in an instant, that these would be highly useful for some of her more intricate designs. She leaned over to Nick and hugged him tightly, making Nick grunt as she did so. "Thank you so much! These will help more than you could ever know!" she smiled widely at him grateful for the gift.

"I'm glad." Nick smiled, catching his breath from the shockingly strong grip. He coughed for a moment before he turned his attention to Brook. "And, now, for you." He smiled.

Brook stepped up to his Dad's bedside, looking eager to find out what his father might have gotten him.

"This is for you." He said handing him a sketchbook. It was leatherbound, and, on it, it had the letters 'B. E.' embossed on the cover. "Now, I got you this because I know that you have just as many crazy ideas in that head as Holly has inventions in hers. You might not have the same technical skills as her, but I know for a fact that you have some art skills. This will be a place to keep all of those nice and safe." Nick patted his son on the shoulder, and pulled him in for a hug.

Brook hugged his father back, a few tears in his eyes. "Thanks, Dad. I will be sure to fill it up." He smiled back at his Dad.

"Good. I hope you do." Nick smiled. He looked at the two of them and shooed them away. "Now go have fun with those!" The two bolted from the room, and took off out the door, making their way to their grove.

Pyria walked in, and sat down on the bed. "They really like those." She smiled at him.

"I knew they would, that's why I asked you to get them for me." He smiled widely back at her.

Pyria leaned in and kissed Nick passionately. She retreated with tears in her eyes. "I knew exactly why you did that. You ass." She looked angry.

"Hey, what did I say about crying?" He frowned at her, placing his hand on her cheek.

Pyria held Nick's hand close to her face before pulling it down. "How can you be so calm in the face of death, Nick?" She asked in a higher pitch, her tears still flowing.

Nick pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. A few tears collected in the sides of his eyes. "Pyria, I am terrified of death." He said seriously, looking her dead in the eyes as he said that. "But, Death isn't a bad guy. He is just terribly, terribly good at his job. Everyone will eventually meet him, so why not greet him with a smile? The gods only know he gets enough sadness and tears when people meet him. I don't want to be like everyone else; I never have been, so, when I go to meet him, I want to be able to tell him, 'I have lived a full and eventful life, and I would change nothing about it.' That's what I want to do." He spoke honestly and truthfully. His voice broke slightly as he said it, but it quickly went back to a more wanting and assertive voice.

Pyria looked on as Nick spoke. She smiled slightly, realizing that he was thinking of someone other than himself- just like he always has. "You went through all this trouble just to make sure that Death has an easier time when you meet him?" He grinned, wiping away a few tears.

"Mostly." He smiled, glad to see a smile on the face of his wife. "We all have a time limit, Pyria. Why worry about something we can't change?"

"Nicholas Evenwood, you are, by far, the craziest man I have ever had the chance to meet." She leaned in and kissed him. Her eyes were dry now, but she knew they would be wet soon enough; she could wait until after to cry. For now, she would enjoy every second she could with him. She hugged him tight, holding him closer to her.

Nick hugged his wife back, knowing what she was doing. He was okay with that. He wanted to be with her for as long as possible as well. "I love you, Pyria. Now and forever." he whispered for her.

"I love you, too, Nick. Now and forever." She whispered back.

A few more weeks passed before Nick eventually passed away peacefully in his sleep. Brook awoke to an odd sound. It was the sound of his mother crying. He walked into his parent's room, and saw his mom leaning over his father. She was crying profusely. Brook knew in an instant what was wrong, but didn't say anything. He simply shook his head, and walked backwards out of the room before sprinting out of the house and beelining for the grove. Nothing bad ever happened there. He ran, and, when he found the grove, he smiled. But, the brief reprieve to his mood quickly soured. He leaned against the birch tree, and cried harder than he had ever cried before in his life. His dad was gone. No longer would he get to hear his voice, or get to hear his advice on things. He was alone. He curled up into a ball, and cried.

Holly awoke, and started her day off as normal. cleaning herself, dressing, and, then, having a quiet breakfast with Vlad. It was a normal morning until Vlad suddenly stood up. He looked saddened. He looked to Holly. "Go find Brook." He ordered softly. "I will find you in a few hours." With that, the elf found a swift and urgent gait, running out the door.

Holly sat in her chair dumbfounded, but she could tell that something was wrong. She quickly stood up, and ran out the door, looking for her friend. She couldn't think of anywhere else to look other than the grove so she made her way there. When she arrived, Holly saw Brook lying on the ground, he was sobbing, and, from the look of him, he had been that way for a while. "Brook? What's wrong?" She asked, sitting on the ground next to him.

Brook jumped when Holly spoke. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he had lost all perception of his surroundings. He looked at her, and hugged her as tightly as he could, crying into her shoulder. "Dad died." He said simply, before his tears began anew.

Holly didn't know what to say or do. A wave of something she couldn't describe washed over her like being splashed with a bucket of cold water. Her eyes prickled with wet tears, and she pulled Brook into her arms, holding him tightly. It wasn't until she heard his sobs of sorrow that she started to cry too. Suddenly, her mind started to whirl with information in the way that it always did, and she came to the realization that the engineering paper and journal were both his parting gifts to them. He'd known what he was doing, and he was still thinking of them even when he was at his end. Her sobs grew harder, and she started crying into Brook. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I love you."

Brook simply cried. He didn't say anything, the fact that Holly was there was good enough for him. He just needed a shoulder to cry on. The two of them cried for well over an hour, eventually their sobs subsided. they leaned against one another in silence. Brook grabbed Holly's hand, and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Thank you for being here." He murmured with a hoarse voice.

Holly looked at Brook. She couldn't find the words; there were none. She squeezed his hand back, and took in a deep breath, which he mimicked. She felt she needed to say something, but she couldn't think of anything. It all seemed hollow. She wished that there was something more that she could do for him. She wished a lot of things. "I wish that there was something more I could do."

Brook looked at Holly. "It's okay. The fact that you are here is good enough." He said, squeezing her hand slightly.

They sat in silence, glad that the other was there. A little while later, Vlad arrived. He looked sad, like he had been crying, but his face was his usual straight forward face. He walked up to the two of them. "Brook, Holly, please come with me." He commanded.

The pair quietly followed, more meandering than actually following. They walked back to Brook's house, but they didn't enter. Instead, they were lead about a hundred meters behind. There, standing next to a hole, was Pyria. Her face was red and tear stained, but she looked, for the most part, okay. Next to her was a body, wrapped up tightly and carefully. Pyria saw Brook and ran up to hug him. The two cried for a minute before Pyria turned to Holly and pulled her in for an embrace. They looked at one another before Pyria stood up and walked over to Nick's body, leading Brook and Holly next to him. She looked to Vlad, and nodded. Vlad sighed and cast Telekinesis to carefully pick up Nick's body and place it in the hole. Brook and Holly sobbed as they saw Nick get lowered down. Pyria placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "I know it's hard, but try to stay strong for just a bit longer. It is what Nick would have wanted." She said with a wavering voice.

The two looked up at her, and nodded. They could do that. Vlad set Nick down at the bottom of the hole and spoke. "Is there anything you would like to say?"

Pyria nodded, knowing she would need to lead the way. "Nick, you were a great husband, and an even greater father. You could make us laugh, smile, and even cry… You, were without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing to ever happen to me… Only second to my children." She smiled at Vlad and then Brook. "You worked harder than any other person I have ever met, so it is about time you got some well deserved rest. Sleep well. I will always love you. Now, and forever." She said with glistening eyes.

Brook looked down at his father. He really didn't know what to say, but he knew that he needed to say something. "I will miss you Dad. Thank you for telling me all of your stories, and about all of the adventures you went on. Those were fun to listen to..." Brook smiled, thinking back on the crazy tales. "I promise I will fill up the sketch book you got me, so that I can tell you of all of my tales. Maybe even show you… But, first, I will get big and strong, so that I can do all those crazy things you did! I promise." He said with gusto, making Pyria and Vlad chuckle.

Holly stepped forward a little to stand next to Brook. She looked at Vlad and to Brook for reassurance before speaking, "You were the first person to ever appreciate me for what I was and what I wanted to be. I have no idea where I'd be without you, so… thank you. For believing in me. I think you already knew about that, but I never got to say it."

Vlad looked at the three of them and nodded. "Nick, I know that we did not talk much, but, when we did, you offered me great advice with life decisions and moral ones. You always knew exactly what to say. Thank you for that. I will greatly miss you." He said, nodding his head in respect for the man. He looked up at his mother, and sighed. "Are you ready?"

Pyria nodded. She knew that this would be the hardest part. "Yes, go ahead."

Vlad nodded, and, using what time was left with telekinesis, he moved the pile of dirt on top of Nick, placing a few piles on before moving what was left in one large movement.

Pyria fell to her knees, and held the kids tightly for a moment. She looked at Vlad. "Could you please bring the kids inside? I would like to spend a few minutes alone." She asked with a hesitant voice.

"Yes, I can." Vlad replied, trying to stay strong for his mother. He walked up to the children, and guided them to the house. "Come on. Let's get you some food." He simply said.

They were lead inside, and Vlad began working on getting a simple meal set up for them. Holly listlessly sat at the table, while Brook made his way to his room before returning a few moments later with the sketchbook Nick had bought him. He sat down next to Holly, and, wearily, began to sketch.

About two hours had past before Pyria walked into the house, and she sat down at the table. Vlad placed food down in front of them, and joined them to eat. Brook and Holly played with their food while Pyria forced herself to eat. She didn't want to, but she knew she had to. Brook and Holly, eventually, finished their meals before going to bed. It had been an exhausting and emotional day, and the family all remained at Pyria's place for the night, not wanting to be far from each other. And, just like simpler days, many years before, a half-elven boy used a gnomish girl as his pillow. Some things never changed.


	7. Time Goes One

The next few months were hard on the family, but, then again, dealing with death can be hard. Vlad seemed to be the first to move on, but, in reality, it was him just trying to be the strong one for everyone to lean on. Pyria was dealing with it relatively well, but she knew that this was going to happen long before Brook was ever even thought of. Holly dealt with it by making her inventions, carefully sketching them out on the paper Nick had given her, and, then, making them into reality deep into the early morning hours as she often did. Brook was often found sketching in his book, staying up late to do so. The half-elf's new late night activities kept him up later than even Holly who had grown used to the lack of sleep over many years of practice.

Holly was the first to notice Brook's new obsession with his art. It was an outlet for him, but something was wrong when she was sleeping more than him. So, one day after school, she was doing homework in the grove while Brook continued to sketch, working on some new project. She paused in her homework and looked at him, "Hey, Brook?"

Brook looked up at her somewhat sleepily. "Yeah? What's up?" He smiled.

"You've not been sleeping much, have you?" She asked, not hedging around the subject whatsoever.

"No, I have been getting sleep. Just been busy is all." He lied, letting out a yawn.

"Brook, I'm not an idiot. I'm an expert in exhaustion. I live exhaustion." She sighed, her heart softening a bit. "Please try to get some sleep before you crash. I know that look you have now, and you're getting ready to crash hard."

Brook looked at her, and he sighed. She was right; he was exhausted. He nodded at her before standing up. "Okay, then, I am going to head home and get some sleep. I… really am… tired…" His eyes closed as he spoke, and he fell to the ground fast asleep, he had barely even made it a step, before he collapsed.

Holly smirked. "Well, I was going to knock you out with the sleep spell, but this works too."

She pulled out a small disc from her bag and tossed it. It hovered in the air where she tossed it, and she struggled to heft him onto it. Eventually, she had all of their things and she walked him home to Pyria. She tapped on the door, and the elven woman answered quickly, looking between her and her unconscious son.

"Uh, hey, mom." Holly waved. "Brook was tired, so I brought him home."

Pyria sighed. "He was up late again… wasn't he?" She asked already knowing the answer. "Bring him in, I will bring him to his room." She instructed, opening the door wider to let Holly and the disc in.

Holly walked in and the disc followed. She stepped down the hallway and the disc stopped just after Brook's door where Pyria could lift him the shortest distance. Once the half-elf was off of the mechanism, she grabbed it out of the air, folding it and tossing it back into her bag. "He hasn't really been sleeping much at all. I was actually going to try knocking him out, but he did that for me." She chuckled.

"He hasn't been sleeping much. He has been obsessed with drawing and sketching. Thank you for looking out for him, Holly. I really appreciate it." Pyria smiled

"I just know that look he had about him. I've been there a lot while building big projects. I'm used to it… him… not so much." She looked at Pyria seriously. "You don't have to thank me. He'd do the same for me."

"Yes, he would." The elf smiled. "Would you like something to drink Holly. Maybe some tea?" She asked, not having chatted with her one on one in quite some time.

Holly nodded. "Yes, please. You need a little company around here. He's going to be asleep for awhile."

Pyria gave a wide smile, and lead the two of them to the kitchen. Pyria began brewing a pot of tea, glad that there was company around. "So, have you been? How is school going?" She said, pouring Holly a cup of steaming tea.

"School is kind of boring, actually." Holly replied honestly. "I know that the projects that I work on at home aren't school, but I have been learning physics and calculating measurements for years. Math is nothing for me, and everything else is just memorization. I've been much more interested in building since school got so dull. I'm actually starting some work on wand crafting."

"That… is so far above my head, but I am glad that you are liking what you are doing. It is nice to have something to keep your mind going, isn't it?" Pyria smiled.

Holly sipped her tea. "Yeah, actually, I have one of my wands with me. Would you like to see? I'd actually like to see if it works for other people and not just me."

"Of course, please let me see!" She said, eager to see what Holly had made.

Holly dug through her bag, placing a miniature trebuchet and several other items on the table in the process before removing a wand that was nearly a foot long. The wood was red and banded with clear age lines, polished to a shine with some flower detailing throughout. "I'm still figuring out the woodcarver's tools, but I think that it's not bad for a first try." She handed the wand to Pyria. "It's supposed to cast mending. Uh… hmm…"

Holly pulled another piece of wood out of her bag. This one had much more rudimentary work on it, and the gnome quickly snapped it in half. "There. Something to mend."

Pyria looked over the wand, it was beautiful. She was about to tell Holly that, when the wood was brought out and snapped in front of her. She jumped at the sudden sound, and blinked for a few moments before she looked at the eager gnome. She smiled and focused on the wand for a moment, and pointed it at the broken piece of wood. A moment later, the two of them were surprised to see that the wood began to stitch itself back to together over the course of about a minute. Pyria looked at Holly and smiled. "Well, I think it works! Also, wonderful job on the design, it is beautiful to look at." She then handed back the wand to Holly.

"The only problem I keep having is that I can only get the enchantment to stick for one time use." She huffed, looking at the older woman in frustration. "I want them to work for long term. It'll take some more research, I guess."

"I'm sure you will figure it out. There's no better person to do it." Pyria grinned, sipping her tea which had cooled slightly.

Holly saw the mild look of disappointment on Pyria's face, so she waved her hand over the elf's mug, and warmed it slightly. "Hey, mom? I've got a question."

Pyris smiled at the gnome. "I'm all ears."

"That's an insult to your ears." Holly laughed at her own joke. "I know that you might not know, but… what with everything that's happened, I'd really like to know what happened to my parents. Noomf and Glis never say. I can make a guess, but… I don't like not knowing."

A frown appeared on Pyria's face, and the elf sighed. "I should've guessed that you'd be the first."

The gnome looked at her mother figure with confusion. "What?"

"Nick, bless him, took some time before he passed to write the family letters. I'll be right back." Pyria stood up and walked into her bedroom before coming out with a small stack of envelopes. The elf shuffled through them, and Holly looked at some of the names and inscriptions 'Brook - getting married', 'Pyria - first grandchild', 'Vlad - Holly's first boyfriend'. The last one made her smile. "Here it is." Pyria mumbled, handing Holly an envelope that said, 'Holly - about her parents'.

Holly noticed her hand shaking as she took the letter from Pyria, but she took it all the same, using her thumb to unseal the wax that held the heavy parchment closed. Holly pulled out a perfectly folded paper, and unfurled it to reveal Nick's perfect calligraphy.

_My Dearest Hollysharp,_

_If I know anything about that sharp mind of yours, I know that you will eventually want to know what became of your parents. You wanted to know when you were much younger, but, as you got older, you had stopped asking altogether. Still, I knew that someone would need to tell you the truth one day, and I fear that your siblings will never be ready to explain. Your siblings are good people, Holly, but the circumstances they found themselves in were not ideal in the least. I hope that you are able to forgive them for not being able to tell you. They have been through much, and, in my opinion, don't deserve your ire._

_Before you were born, your tribe was traveling south towards where they were when you met our family. The tribe was attacked by goblins, knowing that your family would be coming and have their guard down. The attack was swift and took down several of your clansmen in an instant, and battle ensued. Your father fell, trying to protect your pregnant mother, and, as your mother tried to escape, she was struck by an arrow._

_Holly, your mother played dead there on the ground for the rest of the battle, and, once it was over, Glissenda and Noomfla found her. She was bleeding out, dying, and her last wish was for them to save you. There was only one problem. Taking you would only kill your mother faster. I'm sure you can guess what choice they made._

_I know that, with that sharp wit of yours, Holly, you might be feeling guilty right now. Please don't. It is the deepest wish of every parent to protect their child, even if it means their own death. Take it from a father who would gladly lay down his life for his sons or even you to live._

_Please always remember that your siblings were only trying to do their best. They didn't sign up to be parents, but that's what they became when your parents fell in that battle. Your brother Noomfla, even under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol and my disarming charms, struggled to tell me the entirety of this story. It is still a deep wound for him, and, I imagine, your sister as well. Please don't blame them for not being able to tell you themselves. They've had a tough run of it._

_I know that this story may be a difficult one to read, and I wish that I could be there to tell you in person. But, I also know that you weren't ready to hear it until now. Remember, your siblings and our family will always love you no matter what. I know that I'm proud of the young woman you've become, and I've only been witness to the start of your journey._

_Now, and Forever,_  
_Nicholas Evenwood_

Holly looked at the writing as the letters blurred and tears began to fall down her cheeks, "I'd guessed that they were gone, but…" Her body was wracked by a sob.

Pyria pulled Holly in tightly against her, carefully eying the letter over the top of Holly's head so that she knew what had upset her daughter. Pyria quickly finished reading, squeezing the girl tighter against her. "It's okay. Let it out."

Holly didn't need the permission, but the tears fell harder all the same. She hugged Pyria only pulling away when the tears had run dry in her eyes. "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome, dear." She whispered, continuing to hold on to Holly until the girl passed out in her arms several minutes later. Pyria held Holly for a few minutes, stroking her hair comfortingly, she was her daughter after all. She stood up and walked over to the couch, laying Holly down to get some well deserved sleep. She placed a blanket over the girl, and kissed her forehead before turning and walking to Brook's room.

Pyria walked in and did the same for her son, tucking him in and kissing his forehead before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. On her way back to the kitchen, she noticed that Brooks sketchbook was sitting on the table where Holly's things were. She picked it up and glanced at the first few pages. The pictures were very well, if not a bit hastily, done. There were pictures of ships, trees, animals, even a picture of Holly smiling. The picture that took her off guard, though, was a very lifelike picture of Nick, he had the same smile on his face that she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Brook had drawn him as though he were a few years younger, and he had done a good job. Pyria felt tears fill her eyes as she felt sorrow for her lost husband. Even though she was saddened, she kept a smile on her face. Nick may have been gone, but he was not forgotten. She doubted he would ever be forgotten.

The elf sat at the kitchen table and looked out the window; it was getting late now. There was no doubt in Pyria's mind that the children would sleep all night. They needed it. She let out a small sigh. She almost wished that she could get sleep like them, but it was fine. She was used to her trances. Pyria stared off into the distance, and, before long, found herself in one of her trances. When Pyria came out of her trance, she decided to begin getting breakfast ready for the children. There was a while before they would awake, but prep could always be done. In short order, the food was ready to cook, and the sun was rising. The kids would be awake soon, and she felt like they should have a talk about everyone's health.

Brook awoke first, he got up and immediately wondered how he had gotten home. The last thing he remembered was being in the grove, and, then, darkness. He shook his head, and made his way out into the living room to see Holly sleeping peacefully on the couch. He smiled at her that was how he got home. He saw his mother and gave a quiet greeting, not wanting to wake the sleeping gnome. As they silently chatted, Pyria began making breakfast, and, as she did so, a few minutes later Holly stirred. The gnome sat upright, and looked around. She smiled at Brook and Pyria before going to go use the facilities. When she came back, she felt much more awake, and Holly sat down at the table, waiting for the food that Mom was about to serve.

Once breakfast was had and the children thanked her, Pyria asked them to stay for a moment longer before they ran off to go enjoy their weekend. "Could you two stay for just a moment? I want to ask you both a question." She asked with a calm and solemn voice.

The two looked at one another and sat down at the table, curious what Pyria had to ask.

"How… are the two of you doing? It has been a while since we all last sat around and talked." Pyria grinned as she spoke to the children, trying to ease them into her next few questions.

Brook and Holly looked at one another before Brook spoke up first. "I have been well." He sighed softly.

"No, you haven't." Pyria barked at her son. "You have been obsessed with this book." She held up his sketchbook as she spoke.

Brook stammered as his mother held up the book. "Mom, please give me my book back!" He nervously spoke.

"I think I might just hold on to it for a while. You could use a break from it." She said, furrowing her brow at her son.

"Mom! Please!" Brook cried, tears in his eyes.

Pyria pulled the book closer to her, holding it tightly. "No, you have been spending too much time on it." She glared at Brook. "I'm not going to lose you too." Her eyes glistening as she said the words.

"Mom, stop, please." Holly's eyes were glinting with tears. "We're dealing as best we can. Even I'm sleeping worse than usual… Don't take his book. That's like taking my crafting away."

Brook looked at his Mom, tears were streaming down his face. "But, I made dad a promise…" He wheezed.

Pyria froze. She had forgotten about that promise. Trembling, she placed the book down, and slid it towards Brook. Brook snatched the book from her hands, holding it close to his chest. Pyria put her hands on her face before sobbing into them. "I'm sorry." She weeped, crumpling on to the table.

Holly looked to Brook before reaching over to pat Pyria on the back. "Uh, it's okay, Mom. It's tough for all of us."

Pyria looked at Holly with red eyes. "I know it has been, but I shouldn't have done that. That wasn't fair." She cried out.

The gnome looked between her mother figure and the woman's son. "It's okay." She glared at the half-elf. "Brook needs to sleep more often. Right?"

Brook looked at Holly and nodded. "Yeah, I do." He quietly spoke. He looked at his mother and set the book down. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to scare you."

Pyria set a hand on Brook's hand, and, then, placed her other hand on Holly's. "Thank you. The both of you. Thank you." She said rubbing their hands.

"You're welcome, Mom." Holly chimed in. "We have each other, so we'll all be okay."

Brook smiled at the two women. "Yeah, we will all be fine. It will just take some time to get there."

Pyria looked between the two children. "When did you both become so wise?"

"Well… I am your son." Brook joked, giggling at his own humor.

Holly chuckled, shrugging in response. "You raised us, I guess."

Pyria smiled at her two children, letting a small chuckle out in the process. "You two truly are a force to be reckoned with." She said, pulling them in for a group hug.

"Thanks, Mom." Brook smiled, hugging her back in kind.

"Now, you two go run off, and have fun." The elf felt much better, she might be a druid, but even druids can overreact. Pyria was glad that they would be fine. She would be happy knowing that they would go back to their normal routines and be able to keep moving on.


	8. Teenage Wasteland

Holly's eyes opened with the dawn. She sighed. It had been another sleepless late night the night before, and she had only gone to bed once she'd finished tinkering with and enchanting another project. She wasn't entirely happy with how it turned out, but she could always refine it later. Rolling out of bed, she got dressed, and dragged herself out of her bedroom into the living area of the small cottage. Realizing that she needed to use the bathroom, she turned back around and walked in the door to the small shared bathroom. She went about her business until she was cleaning herself and she noticed something that she did not expect. Her eyes got wide, and she left the bathroom in a panic.

In the kitchen, she found that her 'Uncle' Vladimir was busy cooking breakfast. She watched his slightly rotund form move about for a moment, until he turned around to look at her. "You look like you have seen ghost."

"Uh, yeah, uncle Vladimir… I was just in the bathroom, and… ah, I guess that I am bleeding." Holly explained rather poorly, but, in her defense, she had somehow made it to the age of twenty five without having something very important explained to her.

Vlad pointed back down the hallway, "Healing potions are in medicine cabinet. Save vials. I will make more later."

Holly stepped up to the kitchen counter, stepping up on a step stool and using it to jump onto the countertop near Vlad. "No, you don't understand. I didn't hurt myself. I was in the bathroom, and," She blushed a profoundly dark color of red, which spread to her neck, chest, and ears. "I am bleeding…" She huffed. "I can't believe that you're making me say this… from my lady parts."

It was Vlad's turn to blush now, and he quickly clicked off the stove, abandoning the meal he was working on. He looked at his adoptive 'daughter' for all intents and purposes, and offered her his hand. She grabbed onto it, and, instantly, the two were transported to Brook's home. Vladimir quite frantically knocked on the door, and it was answered by Brook as Pyria practically danced about the kitchen with a grace that would make any dancer jealous.

Holly blushed upon seeing Brook, "Uh, hey, Brook. Good morning."

"Oh, no!" Pyria called out, looking to Holly and Vlad in the doorway. "You've been doing so well cooking for so long, Vladimir, that I didn't expect you this morning. Do I need to make some more?"

"No!" Vladimir called out, still holding Holly's hand as he dragged her forward and shoved her hand into Pyria's. "No. No."

Vladimir walked across the kitchen, grabbing Brook's hand before teleporting the pair of them back to his home, leaving just the two women alone in the cottage. Holly looked down at her boots, a new blush coloring her cheeks. "Hey, uh, mom."

Pyria laughed at everything she'd just witnessed. "Whatever happened really got him into a tizzy. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"About that, I'm not really sure." The gnome shrugged. "I didn't hurt myself or anything, but I found blood…"

Pyria nodded only once, smiling kindly at the girl- woman holding her hand. "Say no more! We'll get you all taken care of. You can still cast Prestidigitation, right?"

"Yeah. I did that already, but…" The blond looked down, embarrassed. Then, all in one breath, she practically yelled. "Is this normal? How long does it last? Why do I hurt everywhere? Can I have chocolate?"

The elf knelt down, pulling Holly into a huge hug. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about all of this sooner. I just didn't know what age it would be normal for… well, gnomes, and, apparently, I guessed wrong. I'm sorry, sweetie. Yes, this is normal. It should be over in about five to seven days most of the time. Hurting everywhere is pretty normal too, but a nice hot bath should do wonders, and, yes, I have plenty of chocolate around for you."

A few tears swept down Holly's cheeks. "Days? But, it hurts."

Pyria just held her tighter. "It hurt for me too when I was younger, but it got better as I got older."

"Why is this happening? I don't understand." Holly cried, a little hysterical now.

"I guess that it's time that I told you about the otters and owlbears. The gods know that poor Vladimir will never work up the nerve to explain it to you." Pyria mumbled. "So, when a man and woman love each other very much, they like to have ways to physically show each other that love, and, sometimes, when they show each other that love, they have a baby. Other times, the woman's body needs to get itself ready to maybe have a baby."

Holly pushed away from Pyria in order to look her in the eyes. "Uh, I'm not... in love with anybody yet. So, is this, like, an accident?"

Pyria pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, dear. It's not. I'm sorry. This is more difficult that I imagined that it would be. I've only ever had the talk with the boys. So, your body is mature enough that you can now get pregnant, and, once a month, if you don't get pregnant, your body has to get rid of all the stuff that it creates to get ready for that process and make new stuff. I'm not explaining this very well, but… this is supposed to happen. It's natural and normal, and every woman goes through it sometime in their life."

"Well, this sucks." The gnome crossed her arms over her chest petulantly.

"It does. I'm sorry, dear." The elf responded with as much patience as she could muster.

"Is there anything else that I need to know?" Holly asked, starting to get frustrated by all of the new information.

Pyria nodded. "I have a couple of new spells I need to show you. One is for your menses. The other is for when you are ready to have sex. It's a contraceptive spell."

Holly blushed deeply again. "I don't think that I'm ready to have sex. You don't need to show me that one."

"I will anyway. You never know when you might need it." Pyria declared resolutely.

"Alright, alright. Fine." Holly looked at her mother figure, feeling horribly embarrassed, but determined to ask her question now. "What's… uh, what's sex like? I have some older friends that say that… it's painful, but I'm not sure if I should believe them or not."

Pyria stroked her daughter's hair softly. "It might hurt at first, but it should feel better after a while. It can be really enjoyable with the right partner, but, your first time, don't be surprised if there is a little blood."

"Like, the blood from today type blood?" Holly asked, confused.

"No, not like today. It should only be a little bit if it happens. Every woman's experience is a little bit different. It depends on a lot of things, really. Now, let's show you those spells; then, we can eat chocolate for breakfast and skip school so that we can take long luxurious bubble baths. What do you think?" Pyria asked animatedly, starting to get excited for a day off with her honorary daughter.

Holly smiled, "Yeah, I'd like that a lot."

A frustrated Brook came home from school, dropping his book bag on the ground next to the door, and stalked down the hallway. He had made it all the way to school this morning only to find out that Holly had been called out sick by his brother for some reason. She looked just fine to him this morning when Vladimir brought her over to the house, but what did he know about healing anyway? He stepped up to the door with the flower on it in the hallway, and opened it. He looked around, noticing that the light was on. That was unusual. Normally, after someone was done with the bathroom, they'd leave the light off, but, whatever, mistakes happen. He was just about to unzip himself to use the facilities when he noticed the sounds of light snoring in the room, and he looked over to see the bathtub full of water… and a small gnomish girl that was hardly concealed within the waning bubbles.

He tried to do the gentlemanly thing by not looking, but he was only a man. And, it was impossible not to admit that the woman in the tub was attractive. Her chest rose just above the waterline, but the rest of her was underwater. She looked so peaceful and relaxed; once again, he wondered what it was that she was out of school for today. Maybe she'd tell him. Or, maybe his mom would if Holly wouldn't.

He turned around, and quietly opened the bathroom door before shutting it just as quietly behind him. He leaned his head against the wooden frame, taking a deep breath to calm himself, but he knew that he was blushing. He had just seen Holly naked. With very little left to the imagination. And he liked what he saw. "Fuck." He muttered to himself, walking to his bedroom to take care of a certain situation.

Holly woke up several minutes later, noticing that all of the bubbles were gone from the tub and the water had gone tepid. She smoothed her hair back and drained the tub, grabbing a towel, which she desperately hoped was not Brook's in order to dry off before realizing that it was the only towel in the bathroom, and it was probably Brook's towel. She frowned, not really seeing any other option and deciding that she would just have to use a cleaning spell on it. She dried off quickly, pulling on her clothes, and cleaning the towel before entering the living room again. She looked around and couldn't find Pyria, so she must still be in the bath or taking a nap. But, she did see Brook's backpack on the floor near the door, and he was nowhere to be found either.

She looked at the half-elf's door, and considered checking in on him, but she didn't want to bother him either. Things were starting to get more and more complicated between them the older they got. She was positive that he would be upset that she missed school, and she wasn't ready to explain to him exactly why that was. It wasn't every day that a girl just started their period for the first time. She deserved that day off.

Sighing, Holly gave up on trying to wait around for someone to make themselves known in the house, and decided to walk home. It wasn't a long walk, but she definitely didn't want to make it at night. She let herself into the cottage with the password to the arcane lock only to find that Vladimir was sitting and writing at the kitchen table. She smiled. She always enjoyed the quiet moments with Vlad while he was transcribing or otherwise writing something in his book. She took her place at the other side of the table, grabbing her most recent project, and getting to work again. She wasn't making much in the way of progress, but, maybe, she could figure out what design feature that she was missing to perfect it.

After nearly half an hour of companionable silence, Vladimir looked up to Holly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Uncle Vlad. I'm fine. Sorry for freaking you out." She responded quietly, not looking up from her work.

"Is okay. Glad mother was there to help." Vlad responded. "I… am not good with girl things."

Holly laughed. "Yeah, I know. Thanks for taking me there. I don't know what I would have done without her."

"Me too." Vlad looked up, waiting for her eyes to meet his, so she looked at him seriously. This was one of their rare moments of deep understanding and conversation. "Please do not bring a boy here. Am not ready for that."

"Yes, sir, Uncle Vlad." Holly laughed. If only he knew how futile his words were. She didn't like anybody like that yet, and she didn't think she would for awhile.


	9. Growing Distance

There was a slight breeze that hung throughout the air, cooling everything. Holly was walking home from school, idly kicking a rock ahead of her with every other step. Brook was a few steps back meandering his way back to his house. They were both silent except for their breathing, not that they needed to, they were just enjoying the quiet of each other's company. They walked for several more minutes, before Holly began to slow her walk to come to a stop. She turned to look at Brook. "Hey, Brook… Can I ask you a question?"

Brook stopped in his tracks, looking at Holly curiously. "Yeah, Holly?"

"Have you put any thought into what you're going to do after school? I have ideas and dreams and goals, but it feels like I never hear about any of that from you. It's like… I'm sorry, but it's like you have no ambition at all." She practically word vomited.

Brook was taken aback; this was incredibly sudden and out of nowhere. He looked at her, and was reminded of what he had seen just over a month ago. His ears turned red as he looked away from her. "Uh, yeah I have ambition. I'm… just not sure what I want to do." He looked at his feet, annoyed at himself.

"What do you mean you don't know what you want to do? There's plenty of things to do. You've just gotta look for them." Holly adamantly replied.

Brook looked back at her. "I have been looking…" He said looking into her eyes before he caught himself doing so. "It just won't be nearly as cool as what you do." He frowned.

Holly looked at Brook sadly, clearly striking a nerve. "Brook… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Holly apologized, but Brook stopped her, shaking his head.

"No, it's fine… It's fine. I'm just still… adjusting to the idea of it, is all." Brook gave a smile, trying to brush the subject aside. He looked at Holly, and looked at where their paths split. "Well, anyway, I need to get home. You know how I am with math. I will see you tomorrow, Holly." Brook waved goodbye, and made his way home, leaving Holly by herself.

Holly's ears drooped. She'd almost instantly deflated. She just wanted to know what Brook wanted to do with his life, but she had worded it wrong. She'd made it sound pushy, and… just awful. She started to walk home alone, shuffling with a distinct slump to her shoulders.

Brook walked into his house, and he greeted his mother quickly before going straight to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him, slumping down onto his bed. He let out a muffled moan of anguish before looking up at the ceiling. When did it get so hard to talk to Holly? The conversation had to go in the direction of their futures. It was something that he wasn't too keen on thinking about as of late. Not without Holly there by his side.

Things had changed between the two of them, and he wasn't sure if she felt the same way. He had started seeing her in a different light than before. He used to think of her as just a friend, hells, even a sister, with how often they had hung out, but, after seeing her naked body in that bathtub, he'd begun to have feelings about her. He wasn't sure if those feelings were purely sexual, since most days he just liked to think of her smile, them sitting together to work on homework, even just walking home or to school. Everything that Holly did, he found adorable, and it was driving him nuts. Brook tried to sleep, but found it difficult. Holly was there, permeating his thoughts.

Brook knew that Holly was, by far, one of the smartest people he had ever met. She was able to cast spells as a child, yet he was almost of age, and still showed no signs of magic. His mom is a druid, his brother a wizard, and his father was a bard. Three different ways to be a caster, using completely different abilities to do it, and he had somehow gotten the short end of the stick. Not being able to even cast a simple cantrip. Brook felt tears in his eyes as he pushed his face into the pillow. "Why am I like this?" He whimpered, asking the room for an answer that wouldn't come. After nothingness arriving to his ears for several minutes, he curled up and cried harder, crying himself to sleep.

Brook awoke, already annoyed with today. He felt like crap with how well he had slept. He dragged himself out of the bed, and got ready for school. He made his way to the kitchen before sitting down to eat the breakfast that his mother had made for him. He nibbled at the food, ending up playing with his eggs with a fork; he wasn't feeling very hungry today. He didn't want to go to school today, but he could see Holly. He sighed, growing up is confusing. His thoughts were interrupted with stern look from his mother.

"Brook, you have barely touched your food. What's wrong?" Pyria asked. Brook was usually a very chiper person in the mornings, but today he hadn't even said good morning to her. Something was off, and she needed to find out what was wrong with her little boy.

He looked up to his mom, and then back down to his food, not really sure what to say. "I don't know… I guess I just have a lot on my mind as of late."

Pyria sighed. "Clearly." She deadpanned. "At least talk to me about it Brook. I am your Mom. I am 276 years old, and I, more than likely, have been through whatever it is you are going through now, okay? You can tell me these things." She moved over next to Brook, and held his hand reassuringly, making him feel at ease.

The hand on Brook's, made him feel better, but the things going through his head had been about Holly. He wasn't sure how she would react to that. Holly was family to her, but he still needed answers, hells, anything to make him feel better. He looked up to his mother and spoke. "It's about a girl…" He trailed off, not wanting to give her the whole truth.

A smile took Pyria's face, and she chuckled a little louder than she would have liked. "Oh, Brook, that is perfectly normal for your age. Does she like you?" She asked, wanting to know about the girl that caused her son so much stress.

Brook deflated. "That's the problem… I don't know. I want her to, but I think that she might just see me as friend." He responded, clearly unsure of what to do next.

Pyria cocked her head to the side a little. "Well, have you asked her?" She replied matter of factly.

"You can't just ask girls things like that." Brook looked at her in shock.

"Yes, you can." Pyria nodded, making Brook reevaluate everything he knew about women. "Brook, girls like honesty. If you are honest with them, they will do the same to you." She smiled thinking of Nick, but she was more focused on her son right now. So, Pyria pressed on. "You like her, right?"

Brook nodded. "Yeah, she is pretty awesome." He answered, grinning widely.

"Then, you owe it to yourself to tell her. It will eat you up inside if you don't." She informed him, rubbing his hand again.

"Thanks, Mom. It kinda... already has been." He smiled at her before his brow furrowed. "I don't know if I am ready to say it yet, though." He worried aloud.

"Then, I recommend sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you might regret it." She replied seriously.

Brook nodded his understanding. He got up, and hugged his mother tightly. "Thank you."

"Anytime." She patted him on the back reassuringly before stepping away, shooing her son off to school.

With that, Brook headed out the door. He was a little beside himself as he found Holly waiting for him at their usual spot. "Where were you? I have been waiting here for ten minutes!" She said annoyed at the half-elf.

"Uh, sorry, I was talking with Mom about… stuff." Brook explained, blushing at the last part.

She saw the blush, shook her head, and began walking towards to direction of the school. "I don't want know!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "Now, come on, let's get to school. We're already running late." The two made their march towards the school at a faster rate than normal. When the school was in sight, Holly stopped to look at Brook. "Uh, brook?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean it the way I had said it. I just wanted to know what excites you. You know… The things that make you happy." She said apologetically.

Brook smiled at her. "It's fine. I was just going through some stuff yesterday." He lied.

"Okay, good. I just wanted to let you know." Holly smiled, giving him a quick hug.

Brook felt her hug him, and smiled, returning it.

"Okay, now, let's get to school. okay?" She smiled at him before walking onto the campus.

They each went about their day, seeing each other in passing throughout the day. Come lunchtime, Brook had made his way over to his usual spot. He sat down and pulled out his sketchbook to finish work on his latest picture he had been working on. A mighty ship, sailing through the heart of a storm. It still needed work, but it was coming along nicely. Once he had gotten the clouds the way he wanted, he set the book down and looked over towards Holly. She was over with some of the other caster kids, chatting away to her heart's delight. He smiled; she seemed happy. He just wanted to be the one to do that. Make her happy. Brook thought about his mother's words, and stood up. He began to walk towards Holly, but before he could get there, the bell rang.

Students all began to get up and make their way to their respective classes, causing a wall to form between Brook and Holly. Brook grunted, Holly was walking away now and his class was in the opposite direction. He would need to talk to her later, so he made his way to class, annoyed.

The day went off without too much incident, and, before he knew it, he and Holly were walking back home together. Brook was enjoying her company when he noticed that Holly had a spring in her step. She was basically skipping as they walked. This was odd. "You seem happy." Brook said whimsically. The energy coming from her was clearly effecting him.

"Yeah, today was a good day!" She smiled widely.

"Really? I couldn't tell." He laughed as she continued to skip. "So, what has you so giddy?" He asked.

Holly slowed down before coming to a halt. "Well, today I found out that one of the popular guys at school has a crush on me." She smiled. "A lot of the other girls are jealous of me." She brushed her hair behind her ear out of embarrassment.

Brook looked flushed when she said that. "Oh?" He uttered "Who is the guy?" He asked morbidly.

Holly let out a giggle. "James." She was off in her own little world, oblivious to the half-elf's reaction.

Brook knew the guy she was talking about, and he knew that the guy was an asshole. How he kept getting girlfriends he would never know, but girls just kept flocking to him. There had to be something to it. "What do girls see in him?" He asked, knowing no one better to tell him.

Holly turned to Brook, her eyes looking over b him, confused, but figured it was just a guy thing. "James is really nice! He is sweet and kind, and he is pretty smart too. And, he is really good looking…" She blushed, thinking of him.

Brook covered his ears and shook his head. "Nope! Didn't need to hear that." He grumbled, walking his way towards the house.

"Then, why did you ask!?" Holly smiled at the half-elf who was walking away towards his own home. She waved goodbye and made her way home as well.

That night, Brook laid in his bed the same as the night before, restless. Tonight was different, however, he was restless because he wanted to find the right words to tell Holly how he felt. He wanted to tell her tomorrow, before the weekend, so that they could spend time together afterwards. "Holly, I know that we have been friends for years, and that we are basically family. But I have started to think of you differently… " Brook sighed, still not being able to get the words right. "No… Holly I love you. No… that is too straight forward. She would hit me if I said that." Brook leaned back in his bed. "Holly we are friends right? Do you think we could be… more than that?" He shook his head, it was closer, but it still felt wrong. The two of them were always in sync, but that came from growing up together. Maybe, just maybe, it would happen naturally. Brook sighed and fell asleep, he had a busy day tomorrow.

The next day, Brook found himself waiting at their usual spot, but there was no sign of Holly. He waited for as long as he could before he needed to make his way to school. He frowned the whole way there. He just wanted to tell her the truth. Why was that so hard? He saw the school within sight and pressed onward, stopping when he heard footsteps fastly approaching from behind.

He turned to see a sprinting Holly, wearing a rather nice dress that he had never seen her wear before. Her hair was braided behind her, and, in Brook's eyes, she was absolutely stunning. She sprinted up to him, and stopped to catch her breath. "S-sorry… I'm… late." She panted heavily. It looked like she was about to keel over.

Brook took a moment to pick his jaw off of the earthen path while Holly collected herself. "Uh, yeah, no problem." He said, looking her up and down appraisingly. "Honestly, I'm just glad you came today." He smiled.

Holly gave him a playful shove. "You would have been fine without me." She smiled at him. She looked down, and quickly brushed herself off before casting prestidigitation to make sure she looked good. "How do I look?"

Brook looked at her, he already knew his answer, but he really was just admiring her at this point. "You look amazing." He said as honestly as he could.

She was giddy at that remark, and hugged Brook tightly. "Thank you. I spent way too long getting ready this morning." She retreated before walking towards the school.

Brook looked at her as she walked away, and knew that now was the best time to ask. "Holly?" he said firmly, but with a nervousness.

Holly turned around, and looked back at Brook. "Yes?"

"Is it okay… would it be…" Brook sighed. He needed more time, but it had to be today. "Could we talk after school today?" He asked.

Holly nodded. "Yeah, we talk after school everyday." she smiled.

"Cool, thanks." Brook smilled, back at her. The bell rang as he replied, making the two jump and begin to start bolting to class to get started for the day.

The classes were simpler today, everyone was looking forward to the long weekend, even the teachers, since no homework had been given out thus far. Brook enjoyed this as he began sketching in his book again, this time, working on a flag. He wasn't really paying attention to what he sketched, right now, more so doodling. By the time lunch came around, he went to go hang out with his friends. They were idly chit chatting as they ate their food when he walked up.

"Yo! What up Brook? How ya doing?" John asked with his usual playful banter.

"Not much. How about you?" Brook replied, sitting down next to the two of them.

"Pretty good, if I do say so myself, thank fuck it is the weekend." John responded putting his fist in the air in celebration.

"Amen to that." Brook replied before turning to Nasir, who was eating a sandwich at the moment. "How are you doing, buddy?"

The elf took a moment to finish his mouthful of food before replying. "I'm well. I am going to go hunting with my Dad this weekend, so that should be fun." He said happily, clearly eager to hunt something.

Brook half smiled at him, missing his dad, but glad that Nasir could spend time with his. "Good to hear. I hope you guys have fun."

Nasir thanked him, and they ate quietly for a few more minutes before John slapped both of their arms, pointing towards Holly. "Holy shit! She looks gorgeous." He gawked with Brook and Nasir both doing the same. Brook looked at her for a long few minutes, not taking his eyes off of her. He had a goofy smile on his face as he looked at her. "Oh, my gods…" John whispered dumbfounded. "You like Holly!"

Brook was pulled from his daydream when John said that. He stammered, looking at his two friends. "W-what!? N-no… No I'm not. I don't! No."

John looked at Brook, both shocked and confused while Nasir just shook his head before looking at him. "Dude, I have seen dead animals with better poker faces than that. You are lying!" He smiled.

Brook hung his head lowly. The jig was up. "Gods fucking damn it."

"Why in the nine hells are you complaining!?" John asked, annoyed now. "You're her next door neighbor, right?" John asked, making sure his facts were straight.

Brook looked at him oddly. This was the first time John had ever been anything close to angry with him about anything. "Yeah, have been for almost a decade. Why?" He asked curiously.

John made a few motions, trying to comprehend his friend's ineptitude before he placed his hands on Brook's shoulders. "Brook," He started. "You have been friends and neighbors with her for almost a decade." He said simply, pointing to Holly briefly.

"Friends with one of the hottest girls at the school… You have your life fucking set!" He said louder than Brook liked. "You have the hot girl, literally next door to you… Why have you not asked her out yet?" John asked, now, really confused.

"It's complicated." Brook sighed.

"Well, un-complicate it for us because we are really fucking confused here." John quickly replied with the ever-quiet Nasir nodding in agreement.

Brook pinched the bridge of his nose, not wanting to go into detail about how they met, but knew that the two of them would need an explanation. "Holly is my nextdoor neighbor, yes, but her guardian is my older brother, Vlad. We grew up together; she is like my sister." Brook simply put it without going into the details any more than necessary.

"Okay, and?" Nasir asked this time, shocking both John and Brook.

"We're family. She calls my Mom, 'Mom' and Vlad, 'uncle Vlad'. Hells, we even slept in the same room together growing up. It's weird." Brook trailed off, confused more now than ever.

"Still not seeing an issue here." Nasir simply stated. "Yeah, you grew up together. Cool. Even more reason why you would be perfect for her." He took a brief pause, letting it sink into the half-elf before he continued. "You are not related by blood, clearly. So that's not the issue. You're just afraid of it getting weird. It only gets weird if you make it weird. So, quit your blabbering and go ask her out before that asshole James does." He encouraged, staring into Brook's eyes seriously.

Brook was shocked. Nasir was right. He was afraid, afraid of ruining what they had. He looked at Nasir, and a new question arose. "How do you know James is going to ask her out?"

"I am in the same class as him, everyone knows who he goes after in that class. Now, go before he sinks his teeth into her!" He remarked pointedly, wanting Brook to go and tell her.

Brook looked over to where Holly was, and saw that she wasn't there anymore. He began to panic a bit. Where was she? She never left early. He got up and beelined for her group of friends, and he asked where she was. They told him that she had just left with James.

Brook froze in place briefly before nodding and walking away from the group. He walked until he was just out of sight before sprinting to find Holly. He needed to find her. He looked near all of her classes and saw no sign of her. Where in the hells was she? The school wasn't that big, but neither was she. He looked around the outskirts of the buildings and had almost given up hope until he saw her walking behind a building. He started after her, almost sprinting. When he turned the corner, he had found her.

There she was, standing in her dress. Her long blonde hair in the tight braid that she had put it up into today, but, now, her look had soured to him. She was leaning against James, kissing him rather intently. James held her, running a hand down her back gracefully. He kissed her back with the same intensity. Brook felt tears fill his eyes, and took a few steps backwards. His heart was crushed. He was too late. He would always be too late, or too far behind her. He let out a small whimper, thankfully Holly didn't see or hear it. She was in her own little world.

James heard Brook, and his eyes narrowed at him. Brook saw this, turned and left. This was too much for him. He was going home. He was done for today.

James watched as Brook left. His eyes focused on the half-elf until he was long gone. Holly looked up at James, and saw his gaze somewhere else. She followed it, not seeing anyone or anything. "Is something wrong?" She asked him worriedly.

James focused on Holly and gave her a joyful smile, and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about it. It was nothing to concern yourself about." He smiled before holding her hand, and walking back to lunch with her.

Brook made it back to the lunch area, grabbing his things before he took off home. John and Nasir both knew that he didn't make it in time. He looked like shit, and, after he left, they saw James and Holly holding hands. They felt bad for him. Brook was a good guy, and they wanted their friend to be happy. But, sadly, it wasn't today.

Brook sprinted home, but didn't fully make it there before he keeled over crying and sobbing, wracking his body with pain from the convulsions. Why did nothing ever work out for him? He spent almost an hour on the ground before he managed to pull himself up. He slowly slumped home, more in daze than anything else. He walked through the door of his house to his very confused mother. She wasn't expecting him to be home this early, and he looked like death. His stare was long and distant. She walked in front of him, worried for him.

"Brook?" She asked, but there was no answer. She leaned down, and hugged her son. "Brook, what happened?"

Brook felt his mother's embrace, and heard her words. It snapped him out of his stupor just long enough for him to remember what had happened. The tears fell again, and he cried into his mother's arms. She held him firmly, consoling her crying child. He cried for several minutes before he actually spoke. "I was too late mom." He said, whispering. His voice hoarse, and too sore to actually speak normally.

Pyria closed her eyes, and stroked her son's hair. Of course, this was about a girl, and, from the sounds of Brook, he really loved this girl. More than life itself. She knew what he was going through, and knew that it would be a while for him to be back to normal. "It's okay, sweetie, just go lie down in bed." Brook nodded and began walking towards his room. "And, if Holly comes by, I will just let her know that you were sick, okay?" She added, making sure that was fine with him. When he heard Holly's name, Brook cried again a little harder before nodding, not looking at his mother before closing the door to his room behind him, and crying himself to sleep.

Pyria held back tears when Brook closed the door. He had fallen for Holly. She felt so sorry for him. She didn't know what had transpired today to cause him so much grief, but it must have been bad. She was almost dreading seeing Holly, but she needed to find out what happened at school for both of their sakes.

A few short hours later, Pyria was met with a smiling, albeit, slightly annoyed looking, Holly entering the house. "Hey, Mom. Where's Brook? He didn't walk home with me today, like usual, and I heard that he just up and left today. Is he feeling alright?" She asked, seriously worried for her friend.

Pyria was confused. Holly seemed to be completely unaware of Brook's heartbreak. "Uh, yeah, he isn't feeling well, and came home early. He probably will be sick all weekend, too." She replied, feeling bad for lying to her.

"Aww." Holly objected, annoyed that she wouldn't get to to hang out with her friend. "Okay, then. Well, that blows. Guess I will be tinkering this weekend, then. Oh, well." She sighed.

Pyria was beside herself. What had exactly happened today. "I'm sorry." She said before trying to get more information. "So, how was school today? Anything interesting happen?"

Holly smiled wide. It had been a good day for her. "Today was great! Everyone thought I looked really pretty today, even someone I like…" She blushed deeply, thinking about what happened behind the school during lunch.

There it was. "Oh." Pyria replied, shocked. "What did he say about it?" She continued, needing a bit more information.

"Well, he said it really brought out my eyes, and that I looked really good in it. And, then, he kissed me!" She smiled up at her, happier than she had ever looked before.

"Well, that's good!" She was being honest. Pyria thought of Holly as her own daughter, and was glad she was being happy even if it had hurt Brook. She felt dread for her son's situation in the pit of her stomach. "Well, it's getting a bit late, and the gods only know we don't want Vlad getting any ideas. Do we? Go run home sweetie, and have a wonderful weekend okay?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I will be heading home, then. I will see you later. Love you." Holly replied, running up and hugging Pyria before turning and skipping out of the house, towards her home.

Pyria shut the door and covered her mouth. "Poor Brook." She spoke, understanding what had happened. Brook must have seen her kissing the boy and took off with Holly being none the wiser. She wasn't sure what was going to happen between the two of them, but she was hoping for the best. She had seen friendships like theirs get decimated because of similar circumstances. She prayed that, that wouldn't happen to them.


	10. Mending the Gap

The weekend was long and sad for Brook. He had slept a lot over the last few days. His mind had raced between Holly and what their future was going to be like. Apparently, to Holly, they would be just friends and nothing more. Brook didn't like that thought at all, but that was reality, now. He knew that he would see her when school started, and that she would still be none the wiser to his feelings for her. Could he live with that? He wasn't sure, but he would try.

Their walk to school was awkward. Brook wasn't feeling overly talkative for a number of reasons, but, thankfully, Holly was content with telling him about all of the tinkering that she had done over the weekend. She smiled as she went into the minutia of putting together her newest contraption. "So, I took the arm of the trebuchet, and attached it to the main body. It should be able to launch a couple hundred pounds when it is fully enlarged." Holly smiled, looking at Brook who was more focused on the ground were he was walking. Holly ears drooped. She walked over, and pulled on Brooks arm. "Brook? Are you alright? You have barely said two words to me this morning."

Brook was pulled from his thoughts when Holly touched him. He shook his head, and looked down at his friend. "Sorry, still not feeling so hot." He said, trying not to look directly at her.

Holly looked up at him, and knew that something was wrong. "Brook, I know when you are lying. You can talk to me." She smiled at him.

Brook liked her smile, and he felt a smile crack his lips. It cheered him up a lot. "I will be fine, just need to think some things over is all." He said honestly.

"Okay." Holly nodded. "That makes sense." She smiled reassuringly, and looked back at Brook. That was when she realized she had a question for him. "Brook, you said that you wanted to talk to me about something before the weekend. What was it?"

There was a moment of panic in Brook. He had actually forgotten about that. He quickly took a breath, calming himself. He could talk to her. Maybe not about what he actually wanted to say, but, at least, something. "Oh, yeah, that. Well, I wanted to ask you…" Brook paused for a moment, looking her over, and focusing on her smile. "What makes you happy?"

"Well, a lot of things. I like casting, and tinkering, and I like spending time with you…" She blushed, looking away and at the ground. "And, well, I like school. Lunchtime especially. Why are you so suddenly interested in what makes me happy, though? We grew up together. You know all this."

Brook blushed when Holly said that she liked him, but he quickly recovered, keeping his cool. "I just want to double check. It feels like we don't talk as often as we used to. So, I… wanted to make sure that we were still cool." He half grinned, glad that he had come up with a plausible cover story.

Holly thought for a moment; they had been chatting less lately. "Alright, makes sense. Now, I've gotta ask you. What makes you happy?" She smiled curiously up at him.

Brook paused for a moment. He hadn't thought about that in a while. He looked over Holly, and closed his eyes. He realized that so long as she was happy, he could be happy, and he was perfectly fine with that. "Well, I have my sketches, my friends, and my family." He smiled at her.

"You goof." Holly laughed, playfully smacking him.

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed defensively. "You and Mom make me happy, and that's all that matters." He replied solemnly, albeit a little red tinged his cheeks.

She waved a hand at Brook, and smiled. "I'm not saying it is a bad thing, you idiot. It's sweet. Really it is." She said seriously. "Now, come on, let's get to school. Otherwise, we will be late." Holly said charging ahead.

Brook smiled, and followed behind her. He was sure that he would follow her anywhere, so long as she was by his side. They quickly made their way to the school, and talked briefly before they waved goodbye to each other, going about their day as normal. That was, until lunch time came about. Brook was making his way to where John and Nasir were before James, quite literally, ran into him, stopping him in his tracks. "Well, hey there, buddy! Didn't see you there." He smiled.

Brook looked at him oddly before waving his hand dismissively. "It's all right. No harm, no foul, right?" Brook smiled back at him.

"Exactly!" James happily replied, putting an arm around Brook like a friend would. "Say, I couldn't help but notice that I saw you the other day, just around lunch time?" He asked inquisitively, looking the half-elf up and down.

Brook blushed before responding. "Yeah, sorry about tha-" Brook started before getting cut off by James.

"Okay, cool, so why were you following Holly around then?" His hand tightening on Brooks shoulder, not enough to cause pain, but to make it known that he was, in fact, holding him.

Brook felt James's grip tighten. He felt nervousness eek into him, but he wasn't afraid of the asshole. "We're friends. I just wanted to talk to her about something is all." He said calmly.

James looked him over intently. "What did you want to talk to her about?" His voice was deeper when he said that. Darker.

Brook tried to size this guy up, figure out what he was doing. He made a judgement call, and ran with it. "I… was going to ask her out." Brook replied, his voice annoyed, but honest. "But, clearly, I didn't arrive soon enough." Brook sighed.

James smiled when he heard that. "Clearly!" He released his grip on Brook's shoulder, but still kept it there. "Don't worry. I won't tell her you were there. She will never know. Your secret is safe with me." He pat Brook on the shoulder, and began to walk away.

Brook felt a rage build inside of him. He hated this guy. James had only taken five steps before Brook retorted. "Don't hurt her." He threatened.

James stopped, and turned on point to look at Brook to make sure he heard him right. "Come again?"

"Don't hurt her. Otherwise, you'll regret it." Brook stated again in a time that spoke volumes while staring clouds of daggers at the human.

James stood straight up, walking up to Brook, their noses almost touching. "Oh, really?" His voice oozed venom. "And, if I do, what are you going to do about? You half-breed?" He grinned, daring Brook to do something.

Brook put on a facade, one he had seen on both his father and Vladimir before. He gave a mischievous grin before taking a step back and crossing his arms. "Me? Oh, it's not me you need to worry about. It's Holly." He lowered his gaze, tempting him for more.

James cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Holly?" He said curiously, not sure if Brook was being truthful or not.

"You might have known her for, what? A few days? From afar?" Brook asked, pausing to let him think for a moment. Then, he continued. "I, however, have known her for for over a decade, and I know two things about that woman that you should be extremely worried about." Brook stated, knowing that James would never know Holly like Brook did.

"And, what's that?" James asked sounding slightly worried, but still keeping his act up.

"One, she is a fighter. She isn't afraid to fight back, or stand up for herself." Brook smiled, thinking back on all of the fights they had growing up.

James took a step back, looking at him oddly. "And, the the other thing?" He asked, actually sounding worried now.

Brook put on a huge grin, as he spoke his piece, now. "She has a proverbial arsenal of weapons at her disposal. She likes to make them, actually." Brook winced slightly, thinking of when he got hit by the crossfire of them in more than one occasion before. "They hurt." He elaborated. "So, don't get caught in her crossfire."

"T-thanks. I will keep that in mind…" James trailed off, beginning to walk away, slightly flushed.

"Oh, and James!" Brook called to him before he left. James looked back, but didn't say anything. "You better make sure she stays happy. Don't make her lose that smile." Brook glared at him, this time with intent to kill if James did that. The two stared each other down, neither wanting to be the first to leave. James broke off first, much to Brook's delight, and the two went about their way to their respective areas.

Brook would see James in passing, and the human would often insult him when that happened. But, Brook kept quiet. He could deal with words. What did annoy him was when Brook would look at Holly, and James would notice. James would pull her close and begin to make out with her just to spite him. Gods he hated James. Until one day, James looked shaken up about something. He and Holly were sitting farther apart than normal. James looked at Brook, and he looked like he had seen a ghost. Clearly, Holly had done something that James wasn't expecting. Brook smiled and waved before going back to his conversation.

On their way home from school that day, Holly seemed relatively mad. Her brow was furrowed, and her gaze was off a thousand yards ahead of her. He walked over close to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Holly, you okay?"

Holly jumped at the feeling of Brook's hand touching her. She turned and looked at him furiously before she realized it was just Brook. "Sorry." She sighed. "I just had… a rough day." She responded apologetically.

He looked at Holly curiously. What had happened? "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No… Yes. I don't know." Holly rolled her eyes, looking at the half-elf helplessly. "James got a little handsy at lunch today. I took care of it, but I can't believe that it even happened."

Brook looked at her in shock, but he had a small smile beneath his shocked exterior. "I'm sorry. I am glad you took care of it, if you ever need help, just let me know. Okay?" He asked, wanting to make sure that she was okay.

Holly chuckled, a hollow laugh somewhere between sadism and mirth. "Honestly, I might've just scared him off today. There probably won't be an issue given another tenday."

"Glad to hear." Brook smiled. He knew that Everything would be alright, Holly could take care of herself. The rest of the walk back to their houses was quiet. They waved each other off, making their way home. Brook smiled widely as he walked to his house. Of course, Holly would make sure James was kept in check. She wasn't like all the other girls he had been with. She was different. Brook went through the rest of the day smiling, and, as he laid down in bed, he thought of Holly, and how awesome she was. As he drifted off to sleep, his dreams were filled with her.

He found himself walking down the road to Holly's house. As he walked, he smiled; he was just overall happy. As he walked past the area of the grove, he heard a noise. Then another. And another. Curiously, Brook walked over to the grove to figure out the reason behind the noises. As he approached, he saw what the noise was, and he was horrified to see it.

What he saw was Holly leading James into the grove, and they were both giggling. They stopped by the large tree, and began to make out rather passionately. Things were getting heated, and Brook approached as he desperately wanted to stop what was happening. "Hey, stop! What are you doing!?" Brook yelled, already knowing the answer.

Holly turned to Brook with a frown. "Brook! We were having fun! Something you know nothing about!" She said angrily.

Brook was floored. "W-what?" He stammered.

"Yeah, Half-breed… You need to be more like me!" James smiled at Brook before turning to continue his tongue work on Holly.

"But… This is our place." Brook said, at almost whisper.

"Well, it's not anymore, Brook. It's ours." Holly said, wrapping her arms around James.

James looked at Holly and then back to Brook. "You know what, you're right. It is ours, but I think it could use some remodeling. Don't you think?"

Holly smiled, and kissed James. "Yes, I do."

James looked at Brook, and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the entire grove was engulfed in flames, and Holly and James disappeared into the fire. Brook ran to try and save Holly, but his feet were unable to move. He watched in horror as the grove turned to ash around him. Brook fell to the ground crying, and, a few moments later, he woke up, feverishly looking around. He was glad to find himself in his bedroom. Screw James, making his dreams go sour. Brook looked out his window to see the sun beginning to rise. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed. He was already up, so he might as well start his day.


	11. When Lightning Strikes

Brook and Holly were making their way to school for the gods only knew what time. It was a cloudy and windy day, causing Holly to be more worried about her hair than the actual walk. Brook rolled his eyes and just kept marching forward, quickly leaving her behind. She called out for him, and he slowed down for her before they both continued to make their way to school. When they arrived, they bid each other farewell before going to go see their other friends. Holly made her way over to her small group of friends while Brook wandered over to his usual spot where he would sit and doodle before class would start.

Brook looked over at Holly's group of friends, they were all casters in some way. One was a druid, one a bard, and Holly was still figuring out what she was. Brook sighed; he was jealous of her. Both of his parents were able to cast spells, but, here he was, at 15 showing no signs of either one. Maybe, it was just meant to be. Holly would go off and be some wizard like his brother while he would just stay here and be a store clerk. It wasn't the best job, but a decent one.

When the bell rang, they each made their way to their respective classes. As Brook made his way to class, however, he was knocked off course by a random bystander. He fell to the ground, hitting his head as he did so, and causing his things to fly across the hallway. Brook shook his head as he saw stars. The strike itself wasn't painful. It was more the suddenness of the occurrence that startled him than anything. Brook didn't even have time to catch himself. The person helped him up, and apologized. Brook quickly gathered his things before making his way to class.

As Brook continued on through his class, he was finding it difficult to concentrate. It wasn't the lesson or the teacher, but he was just having trouble focusing more than normal. This, he found odd, he liked this class. He powered through as best he could before the next class began.

The next class was just as bad as the first, if not worse, this time around. Brook found himself being jolted as his teacher was standing next to him. "Brook, is there a problem with my class today? Because your attention seems to be elsewhere." The human man said with a low, deep voice.

Brook shook his head, feeling slightly lightheaded as he did so. "Sorry, Mr. Felix. Just feeling a bit lightheaded, is all." Brook sighed, trying to focus.

Mr. Felix looked at the young half-elf, and could tell he was being truthful. Brook wasn't one to lie. He looked out the window, and saw that it was much darker than before. "You probably just have a pressure headache. It happens to a lot of people when its gets stormy. Just try and focus. Okay?" The teacher replied, giving Brook a warning for the time being. Brook nodded, and Mr. Felix went back to the front of the classroom.

Brook tried to focus again, but his teacher's words were troubling him. "It happens to a lot of people when its gets stormy." He thought. That was what he was worried about. He had never had trouble with storms. Hells, if anything, he slept better during storms than on clear nights. What was happening to him? He took a few deep breaths, and trudged on through the class. "Just make it to lunch." He thought to himself.

Thankfully, the class was over soon enough, but Brook was feeling almost queasy. He thought it might have been something he ate, but his mom's cooking was perfect at the worst of times. He made his way to the cafeteria. He had decided that he needed to go home, but he wanted to let Holly know first. He glanced around, and found her in her usual spot. She was surround by her friends, all of which were chatting away merrily. Brook made his way up to them before waving for Holly to get her attention. She saw Brook look worse for the ware even though he had looked fine earlier this morning. She walked over to him, looking concerned. "Hey, is everything alright? You look like shit." She grimaced, trying to lighten the mood by giving him a half-smile.

Brook held his stomach, and rubbed his head before his gaze met hers. "Yeah, I feel like shit. I think it might be something that I ate, but I'm not too sure. I'm going to go to the nurse, and see if I can head home. So, I probably won't be walking with you home today. So, don't wait around for me after school, okay?" He gave the best smile he could, but it was hard for him. He was really starting to crash.

Holly looked over the man she called her brother, and gave him a brief hug. She was worried about him, but he would be fine. He always was. "Sure thing. I will see you later, alright?" She smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

Brook simply nodded before he began to make his way towards the direction of the nurse. He opened the doors so that he could make his way towards the main building, but, as he walked through the small grassy area, there were quite a few other students around, enjoying the weather. Brook took no heed of them as his focus was to just get to the nurse. As he walked, he could hear the sound of thunder off in the distance; it was shockingly loud to him. He brought his hands to his ears to help drown out the sound, but it was having no effect. The sound of the thunder was deafening, and Brook fell to his knees. The noise was becoming too much to bear.

A few concerned students walked over to him to see if he was okay. Brook was having trouble breathing right now, and needed space. "Please, move." He asked with haggard breaths. A few students gave him some room, but the others were yelling to get the nurse. "Please, move!" Brook yelled this time, causing more students to leave him be.

However, there was one student who was trying to slow him down, using something that might have been a soothing voice under different circumstances. "Please, calm down. The nurse is on her way. Just hold tight for a minute!" They raised their voice, not out of anger, but to be assertive.

Brook, however, couldn't tell the difference, right now. He felt anger rise inside of him, and he stood up. His eyes met the students, and what the student saw sent shivers down their spine. A group of students were now forming around the half-elf, and more students, still, were walking outside to see the commotion, Holly being among them. As she walked outside, she looked at Brook in shock and horror. Where, once, there were Brook's blue eyes; now, they were bright white with sparks of energy crackling from them.

Brook breathed in deeply before letting out a thunderous yell. "I SAID, MOVE!" As he yelled out in pain and anger, the nearby students were all thrown back. Brook looked up, not of his own volition. As he did so, the wind began to pick up and began to envelop him. All the students were awestruck as Brook began to float into the air, suspended by the wind. Brook felt his mind go blank as he fell unconscious, dropping to the ground.

It was all Holly could do in order to remain calm as she watched Brook's… whatever this was. She'd never seen anything like it before. When he fell to the ground, it started to rain, but she hardly noticed it. Instead of running for shelter, she ran forward to kneel at his side, dropping her things, hands fluttering over him helplessly. She didn't know what to do. She was good with fixing things, not people. A hand hovered over his lips, and she found that he was breathing. That was good, but she didn't really know what else to do, until the school nurse finally made it to their side.

"What happened, Holly?" Nurse Burnbaum asked, using some supplies from a medicine kit to check on Brook's health. The rain started to pour harder, and it did fall on them. But, it was like the winds were keeping the worst of it away from the pair of women, and the unconscious half-elf.

Holly shrugged rather helplessly, "I don't know. He said that he wasn't feeling well, and he was going to go see you so that he could go home to rest. The next thing I know, there's screaming coming from the quad, and his eyes are glowing white, the wind is whipping around, and he just passed out."

The nurse nodded a couple for times before looking back at Holly, "Are there a lot of magic users in his family?"

"His brother, mother, and father are all full casters. I don't know much about his grandparents." She responded honestly, looking between the nurse and Brook, trying to find some way to be helpful, but quickly realizing that she would only get in the way if she tried.

"Poor boy." Nurse Burnbaum uttered as she finished her examination. "He is exhausted and will need some rest, but it looks like your family has another spellcaster on their hands."

Holly sighed heavily, trying not to roll her eyes. She could tell that much on her own. "Can I take him home? I don't think that he'll want to wake up in the nurse's office after that."

The nurse looked at the young gnome in confusion. "Well, you can if you want, but how will you do it? I doubt that you can lift him."

The girl actually rolled her eyes this time, turning around to grab something out of her sopping wet bag. She tossed it gently, and a thin, flat disc of metal began to hover a foot or two in the air. "Can you help me get him up?" She asked, but, the way she said it, it sounded more like a thinly veiled order.

The nurse picked up the half-elf, placing him in the center of the floating disc as Holly grabbed both of their bags, arranging them on either side of Brook to keep him from rolling. She looked over at the nurse once before starting to walk away. "I'm not sure if we'll be back tomorrow or not. Family business." She called over her shoulder flippantly.

Holly left the school, ignoring the stares of other students who were mesmerized by the show of power that Brook produced quite by accident. When she left the grounds, she quickly realized that she needed to stay as close to the floating disc as possible to be kept from the worst of the storm. Whatever Brook was doing unconsciously would keep her safe on her way home. The wind and rain battered her as she continued the trek to Brook's house. By the time they managed to get there, she was soaked through to the bone and shivering, but Brook seemed to be fine still, showing no signs of distress from his resting place. She knocked on the door several times as loud as she could, hoping that Pyria wouldn't mistake the noise for the storm outside. She sighed in relief when the elf opened the door, ushering her in. She walked far enough that the floating disc followed her into the living room, and Pyria closed the door behind her.

"What happened?!" Pyria worried, looking between the two children and settling on helping Holly first. She helped dry her clothes using a few quick spells and made her a hot cup of tea to warm her up before moving on to help Brook.

"The school nurse says that there is a new spellcaster in the family." Holly responded simply, sipping her tea gratefully. "When the storm started… well, actually, he might have caused the storm. I'm not sure. His eyes lit up white and the wind picked up so much that he was lifted off the ground. Then, he passed out, and the rain started."

Pyria frowned a bit at the explanation, casting spells on Brook to dry him off, and picking him up with some difficulty to place him on the couch. "Well, that doesn't sound like a bard at all. It could be a druid thing, but he's never had any other signs of showing abilities." She wiped her brow, leaning heavily against the couch as she thought. "He could be a cleric, maybe. I've met a tempest cleric before. Or, he could be… Oh, gods! Why didn't I see it before?"

Holly's ears perked up, and she turned to look at Pyria as she had her revelation. "What is it?"

"He sleeps through thunderstorms." She ticked off on a finger for each thing she listed. "He is always in a better mood when it rains. He's constantly drawing storms and ships in that notebook of his. There's always a nice breeze when he works in the garden. He's a storm sorcerer."

Dramatically, in the distance, thunder struck. Holly looked towards Pyria, and then back at Brook. "So... What? He's going to start casting all of a sudden?" She half-mocked. "I've never seen him successfully cast before."

"Holly," Pyria paused, trying to find a way to explain. "Sorcery is… weird. It comes from a person's blood, and, if that power isn't ready to be used, it just won't work. So, he hasn't been able to cast until now, but he should be able to when he wakes up."

"Huh." Holly looked to Brook's prone form, feeling a bit impressed if she were being honest with herself. "Well, I guess that is good. All this time, he was worried about catching up to me, and, now, he's already ahead of me. I'm not even quite sure what I am yet."

Pyria smiled softly at Holly. "You have plenty of time to figure that out, dear. Now, you are staying the night. I'm not letting you leave here during the storm unless Vladimir teleports to get you."

Holly finished her tea, placing the cup down and walking over to her book bag to find something. The contents of the bag were all ruined, and she felt badly since she knew Brook's belongings were probably in a similar state. She grabbed a small stone, and brought it up to her mouth to speak, "Vladimir, are you there?"

A moment later, the wizard chimed in. "Da. Go ahead."

"Brook and I are at Pyria's. I'm not going to go back out in the rain today. Mother's orders." Holly smiled.

"Want to come home?" Vlad asked without a moment's pause.

Holly shook her head before she realized that he couldn't see it. Oops. "No, I'll just stay here for the night. I'm worried about Brook." She paused a moment, wondering if she should go into detail, and realizing that maybe she shouldn't over the Sending Stone. "He's not feeling very well."

"Okay. Let me know if you need me." Vlad answered before breaking the connection.

Holly and Pyria went about the rest of their day, drying out the contents of backpacks and deciding what could be salvaged and would need replacing. Dinner was a quiet affair between the two women as they waited for Brook to wake up.

Brook awoke to the sounds of soft rain outside of the house. He was on the couch, but he didn't remember how he got there. He looked at the other seats in the living room, finding not just his mother, but Holly there as well. His mother was in her trance, so he had to remember to be quiet. He looked over to Holly, observing her form carefully. His eyes swept over her body, remembering the time that he'd accidentally walked in on her while she was bathing. Things had changed then. He no longer saw her as his sister, not that she ever really was. They were still best friends, but his feelings had become more than that over the past few months. He just had to wait for her to be available in order to tell her.

A lot had happened this year. Holly had taken that one weird day off of school, and, then, things had been different. She started being interested in boys, and Brook had even caught her kissing a boy near one of her classes. That had been a crushing blow, if he'd ever felt one. Brook had decided that Holly deserved to be happy with whomever she pleased, and, so, he buried his feelings, trying to be the support that she needed. He watched as she started to date the boy that she'd kissed that day, and kept quiet about his feelings. That boy was an asshole, but it wasn't Brook's place to say so. He'd just be there to protect her, if need be. Holly's magical training had become more intense, and she often would stay up late into the night to craft magical objects. He knew that she didn't get much sleep by the dark circles under her eyes, and he was glad to see her sleeping soundly now.

Brook adjusted himself on the couch, feeling the ache of remaining still for a long period of time in his bones. He remembered not feeling well that afternoon, but he didn't remember much after he'd said goodbye to Holly in the cafeteria. It had something to do with the storm- that much he knew for sure. He thought about the full feeling in his head from earlier, and was glad that it was gone now. He felt different, though. He looked at his hands, not seeing any difference. When he looked, though, he heard the wind pick up outside.

Brook looked at the women one more time before carefully getting up and off of the couch. He stepped towards the front door, and opened it only wide enough to fit his slender form. He used both hands to close it quietly, and, when he was done, he turned around. The storm outside was waning in power. It had clearly been going for quite some time before he woke up, but the power of it didn't hurt his head any longer. He watched as lightning struck and counted down the seconds until the thunder rolled by.

It was like a song to him. The storm was practically musical. He stepped forward, and found that the worst of the rain seemed to sculpt itself around him. It was weird. Wherever he went, it just seemed like light rain was falling, but it looked like an absolute downpour was just outside of his reach. He wondered if he could still be dreaming, so he grabbed a piece of his thigh and pinched hard. Nope, definitely real. Was he doing this? He looked at his hands again in wonder, eyes growing wide as he saw… sparks?

What the hell was happening to him? This wasn't how his mother described realizing that she was a druid, and this definitely wasn't a bard thing. This was entirely different. He thought back and pondered if he'd made any deals with powerful beings; he came up with nothing. Whatever this was, it was his own. He waved his hands around, and, at a certain point, instinct kicked in. His hands began to spark more, and, then, the magic quickly dissipated. He'd just cast a spell. He wasn't sure which one, but it was something. He smiled. He had magic. Finally. "Yes." He murmured into the storm before he started walking back inside to go dry off.


	12. When it Rains, It Pours

When morning came, Holly was the first of the children to awaken. Her eyes opened quickly without a bit of grogginess, and she found them resting on Brook's form, laying on the couch in much the same way he was the night before. Her eyes studied him, sweeping over his features, and wondering when he would awaken.

Pyria came over and brought her a cup of tea, brushing a light kiss on her forehead, and explaining that she didn't have to go to school today if she didn't want to. Holly smiled, but thought things over. "Uh, mom?"

"Yes, dear?" Pyria asked, not the least bit concerned by the girl's tone.

"I know that Brook has an important test at school today." She mumbled, unsure of what she was trying to say. "With everything that happened, I know that he didn't study. Can I… Would it be wrong if I used Disguise Self to take the test for him?"

Pyria's lips pursed together as she thought it over. Of course, it was cheating to use a spell to take the test for someone else, but Pyria also wasn't sure when Brook would be well enough to return to school either. She looked at her son, still unconscious on the couch, and she looked back at Holly. "Won't you run out of spells before school is out? How will he go to school for the whole day?"

"I can… have uncle Vlad cast Seeming!" She enthused for a moment, proud of her memory. "That lasts 8 hours, and, if I need more time after that, I'll cast disguise self."

Pyria felt impressed, but she tried not to show it on her face, "What about you and your classes?"

"I don't have any tests or anything today, and I can always borrow a friend's notes. If anybody asks, I caught cold walking Brook home last night." She responded after a moment's thought.

Pyria looked between Holly and Brook again. "Go before I change my mind." She ordered, and the gnome ran out the door and all the way to Vladimir's cottage.

She let herself in, and found Vlad in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "Uncle Vlad!" She called as she ran in, slamming the door behind her. "Could you pretty please cast Seeming on me to look like Brook for the day?"

Vlad looked over at the gnome, and frowned a bit, thinking about the spells that he'd prepared for the day only minutes before. "Is this for some sort of prank? Because would not be funny."

"No, Vlad. Brook's still not doing well enough to go to school today, and he has a big test that he's going to miss. So, and I know that you won't approve of this, I'm going to take it for him." She explained, realizing that she was asking a man with incredible book smarts to help her cheat for Brook. "I know that it's cheating, but… I want to do this for him. Will you help me?"

Vladimir held out his hands in her direction, making the somatic component for Polymorph. "Is only one problem. Did not prepare seeming today. Only True Polymorph. Can change you back when you come home."

"That's fine. I was worried about my height being a problem anyway." She responded as she felt the powerful magics wash over her, and her body transform into that of the half-elf. She quickly made sure that everything was in order before running out the door and towards the school. She settled down on her way, starting to walk instead of run, and trying to find Brook's usual cadence of steps. How did he walk with the confidence that he usually oozed? Was it just natural or was there some sort of strut that he'd practiced? She laughed at herself, and it sounded strange to her ears. It was a man's laugh, but, then again, she was in Brook's body not her own.

When she got closer to the school, she had to fight the urge to wave at her friends and join them on their usual morning walk. Instead, she waited to be approached, a very 'Brook' move when it came to her friends, and she explained that Holly was out sick for the day, having caught cold in the storm the night before. When asked about how he was feeling, he just shrugged and said that he wasn't sure what had gotten into him.

Holly was glad for her impeccable memory since she could remember Brook's class schedule as well as her own, and she knew that the first class was the one where Brook was having the test. Maths. Brook hated the class, but it was required. She walked into the class, and realized that she had no bloody idea where Brook sat normally, and she floundered as she looked around for an open seat that seemed to be a likely target. Finally, she saw that John, one of Brook's friends, was waving her over. She took the seat next to him, and uttered a quick, "Thanks."

"You're kinda out of it, man. You okay? After yesterday, I thought for sure that you would be out today." John enthused, lightly punching her in the arm. She found herself wondering if this was actually how men bonded. It seemed a little barbaric. "What the hell happened anyway? One minute, you're zoning out it class, and the next you're levitating in the middle of the quad."

She shrugged. "Yeah, uh, I don't really remember it. I woke up feeling fine this morning, and we've got the test today. So, here I am."

"You shoulda milked it and stayed out for the day. Then, you could've taken the test later on. I know that I woulda stayed home if I could." The boy grumbled, looking over at Brook kind of jealously. "So, since when can you do magic? I don't remember you ever using it before."

Holly fought the urge to sigh. Brook did not sigh. Instead, she felt a wave of… anger? Wash over her that wasn't there before, and she found herself glaring at John. In a firm voice, she grumbled. "Since yesterday, I guess. That was the first time."

Holly wondered where the sudden wave of anger came from, and felt afraid that Brook got this sensation all the time. Was this just a boy thing? This kind of sucked. She thought that girl emotions were bad, but this was like… damn near rage over something stupid.

At the front of the classroom, the teacher came in, gaining everybody's attention and handing out tests. Holly grabbed hers, and was glad to realize that this would be easy for her. That is, until she realized an important fact that she'd forgotten about until this moment. Brook was right handed. She was not. Fuck.

She grasped the pencil awkwardly in her right hand and started in on the test, being sure to get a question or two wrong because Brook could be good at math, but a perfect score was beyond abnormal for him. Class passed quickly, and, soon, it was lunch time. She was approached by several people who had seen Brook's magical fireworks the day before, and she was happy to see that Brook was starting to become more popular. She quickly got some food, and sat down with Brook's friends. She kept relatively quiet, only speaking when spoken to, trying to avoid saying anything that would tip them off to them knowing that she was not, in fact, Brook.

At some point during lunch, Holly's boyfriend came up to her… or, rather, Brook, and he asked, "Hey, Evenwood, where's Holly at? She okay?" She schooled her expression, remembering not to smile like a loon that he cared enough to ask about her.

"Yeah, she got sick from walking home in the rain last night." She answered. "I'm sure that she'll be back to herself in no time."

"Yeah, thanks." Holly's boyfriend James, grumbled. "It's your fault she is sick in the first place. Seriously, why do you hang out with her? You are so fucking weird."

Holly was beside herself, and she felt that same anger from before bubbling to the surface. She tried to reign it in, but it was just such a foreign sensation that she couldn't really stop it. She felt the air crackle around her, and realized that she was using Brook's powers. It felt foreign to her- an entirely different type of magic from what she knew. Her magic was studied or created with machines. His was natural and wild. She tried to think about something that an angry Brook would say and came up short, so she just said what she felt and hoped that it was close enough. "And, you're not worth the dirt beneath her feet. Now, fuck off before I get really angry."

James looked like he was about to piss himself, and he ran away faster than a quickling. She settled down and looked back at Brook's friends who looked, well, scared. She felt badly, but it was just a natural reaction both for her, and… this body. This was getting weird.

"Well, that was… interesting, Brook." John looked over at their other friend, an elf named Nasir. "We know that you have the hots for Holly, but that was a little over the top, even for you."

Holly was floored, looking between Brook's friends. She tried to tell if there was any falsehood or joking in their demeanor, and found none. Nasir leaned forward conspiratorially, and whispered for their ears only, "Holly is okay, I guess, but her friend Keilenn… I would fuck her. What about you, John? Keilenn or Holly?"

John looked between his friends, "Both of them are hot in their own way, but I've gotta go with Holly. I bet she'd be a wild fuck." He looked over at Brook unabashedly. "Sorry, mate."

Holly didn't know what to say. She wasn't used to boys conversations, and she didn't want to pretend to be anymore. But, she promised Pyria that she'd stay for the whole day. She looked between John and Nasir, and said, "It's okay. I think that I'm gonna go talk to the nurse. I'm not feeling so well. I should probably go home."

The boys both nodded, and she left, headed to the nurse at an expedited pace. She explained that she had pushed herself harder than she should have so that she could make it to the test this morning, and that she would try again tomorrow. As she was leaving the school, she bumped straight into James, and her first reaction was to apologize until she realized who it was. James looked her… Brook up and down, and muttered, "If you tell her what happened today, I'll make you regret it."

Holly looked at her boyfriend, and wondered just how long Brook had been protecting her from this side of him. Had he always been like this? She couldn't remember a time where he'd threatened her or made her feel uncomfortable. Was it all just an act for her to fall for? Did he just want to get into her pants? The thought made her want to scream. "Whatever, James." Holly responded, brushing past him, and rushing out.

She made he way towards the house she called home, but, all the while, her mind was flurry of activity. The things that James had said, were making her doubt what she knew about him. What was she to him? And, what was with the way he acted around Brook? It seemed like those two were hated enemies. Holly had never even see those two in the same room together, let alone angry at one another. Holly stopped in her tracks as her brain was focused on the one thing that John had said. What did he mean Brook had the hots for her? Was Brook just as vile as James? Is that why they didn't get along? No, she had known Brook for well over a decade now, and he was one of the nicest people she had ever met. He was the reason that she was even here in the first place. Why would he like her in that way? They were siblings, at least in her mind anyway. He was her brother, her most trusted confidant, and best friend in the whole world. Holly shook her head, and continued towards the house. She didn't want to be Brook any longer. It was an already weird enough week finding out that Brook was a sorcerer, but this new flood of information was reeling her head, she needed to go back to normal sooner rather than later.

When she arrived home, Vlad was in the middle of watering his familiar. He was caught off guard by the sudden intrusion from his younger brother. He quickly realized that it would have to be Holly, and gave her a formal greeting. "Hello, Holly, welcome back. How did it go today?"

Holly kept her head low, and didn't make eye contact. "Can you turn me back now, please? I want to be me again." She was trying her best to keep her emotions in check, but was having trouble. Today had been a cluster fuck for her.

Vlad looked her over, curiously. She was so adamant this morning about doing this. What had caused the sudden change of heart? He let out a slight sigh. He didn't want to get into the details, and, so, he quickly complied to her request. "Da, one moment." He quickly flipped to the page in his tome, and began casting dispel magic. Thankfully he had taken a trance before she arrived, and cast it using the highest ability he had. Within moments, Holly turned into herself once again.

Holly felt the magic dissipate, she looked herself over, and hugged Vlad tightly before running into her room and shutting the door behind her. She slumped down against the door, and began to cry. "Fuck today." She thought to herself. Why was this all so hard? Why was James an asshole to Brook? Why did John say that Brook had the hots for her? Why did she insist on taking that stupid test? If she weren't always so pushy, half of the bullshit that happened in her life wouldn't be a problem, but that was just who she was.

Her head knocked against the door loud enough for Vlad to hear, but she didn't care. Tears streamed down her face, and she hiccuped. She thought long and hard about her relationship with James and came up short with any new ideas. To her, he was… well, not great. He was a man's man, and could get on her nerves, and obviously wanted more than she was willing to give, but he wasn't bad. He didn't hurt her, and he was kind. He gave her occasional gifts. Overall, he was sweet, so what the hell was up with Brook and him?

When James was around Brook, he damn well seemed like a monster. She wondered what had happened between him and Brook to start that caustic relationship; she honestly couldn't fathom it at the moment. The only answer that she would get would be if she asked Brook, but that would also require that she figure out how she felt about him. He liked her… as more than a sister. What the hell had she done to make him think of her as a woman and not family? She had recently started to fill out a bit and gain a more womanly figure, but she couldn't think of any defining moment. She puzzled over and over only to come up short.

The tears were now dried, and the methodical mind that she had started categorizing. How did she feel about Brook? Could she ever think of him as more than a sibling? She thought about his looks, and, of what she had seen of his body, she wasn't disappointed. He was sweet and capable of both kindness and a darker protective side that only came about when family was in danger. After thinking for quite some time, she realized that she could love him as more than family, but, she thought, it would take her some time to get there. Her face hardened, and she realized that she would need to talk to Brook about all that she had learned. She needed to see him. Tonight.

Brook awoke a little after noon. He felt groggy, but figured that all the sleep was the reason. He got up off of the couch, only to feel light headed, and immediately sat back down. He shook his head, he would be fine. He took his time standing up now, as he did he heard the back door open. In walked his mother, holding some vegetables, she looked over to where Brook was standing, and tossed them on the counter before running to go and hug him tightly. She held him for a moment before stroking his hair, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "How are you feeling? Did you sleep okay? Are you hurt at all? Do you feel anything wrong or different?" Pyria asked a mile a minute, going into protective mother mode.

Brook let out a small laugh before pulling back. "I'm fine, Mom. Just tired. Yesterday took a lot out of me." He looked around the room briefly, looking for Holly, but not seeing her. "How did I get home yesterday? The last thing I remember is having a major headache. Then, nothing." He looked at his mother for answers, hoping she would have them.

Pyria swept an errant strand of hair out of her son's face, looking into his eyes. She moved over to the couch before taking a seat, and motioned for him to follow suit. "Sit down, you probably have a lot of questions."

Brook looked over to his mother, and begrudgingly sat back down. He had already slept for well over twelve hours. He really wanted to just move, but answers sounded better right now. "Please." He started. "How did I get home?"

"Holly brought you back here on one of her gadgets." She replied calmly.

Brook thought it over and knew which one she meant. He liked that one. "Okay, then. Well, do you know what happend? Because I am at a loss." Brook half-pleaded with his mother for answers, looking off into the distance as he tried to remember.

Pyria gave a small chuckle. "What Holly told me was that you were on your way to the nurse, and, then, you began to have wind wrap around you before flying up into the air. After that, you fell down, and passed out." She placed a hand on Brook's back, rubbing it gently.

Brook processed what he had just heard. He remembered talking to Holly and walking to the nurse, and all of that would have sounded far fetched if not for his walk last night while Holly and his mother were sleeping. He looked at his hands, and focused for a moment. He could still feel the magic that was there last night. A smile cracked his lips, and a brief chuckle escaped him. "Mom…?" He said, not looking her in the eyes, but waiting for her response.

"Yes?" She asked, anxiously awaiting whatever Brook was about to say.

"I… I can use magic now. Can't I? I walked outside last night, and felt the rain being moved around me. Then, I just waved my hands, and I cast a spell. I don't know which one, but I'm sure I did it!" Brook smiled widely. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to be sure that he knew it to be true. So far, the day had felt like a dream, and he wanted proof of its existence.

Pyria giggled as she saw the all too familiar smile on her son's face. "Yes, Brook, you are a sorcerer. A storm sorcerer. Honestly, I am more annoyed that I didn't see it sooner. All the signs were there, but, somehow, I had managed to just overlook them. I am sorry." She brought him into a tight hug, upset for being unable to predict this sooner.

Brook patted his mother on the back. He knew how she felt. In hindsight, he could see the signs as well, but he'd just thought that they were one of his many oddities. "It's okay, Mom. It's my fault as well. I should have known sooner. I just thought that I would never be a caster like you, Dad or Vladimir. So, I just latched onto that mindset instead of trying to test myself. Some of the fault lies with me. Please don't blame yourself. Okay?" He gave her a big smile, and hugged her again.

Pyria gave a small sniffle before ruffling her son's hair. "Okay, Brook, I won't." She wiped a tear from her eye before standing. "Now, you must be hungry. Let's get you something to eat!" She smiled, walking back to the kitchen to start cooking.

Brook smiled widely. He was starving. "Yes, please!" He eagerly replied. He sat back as he watched his mom begin work in the kitchen. He was happy; he was like Holly now, a caster. He looked back around the room, and looked to where he last saw Holly sleeping. Curiously, he asked, "Hey mom? I saw Holly here last night. Where is she? Did she go to school, or did she head home?"

Pyria looked over to Brook, and smiled. "Well, she knew you had a test today, and, that, after yesterday's events, you wouldn't be able to take it. So… she went to go and take it for you. You really ought to go thank her for that." She sighed, still irked at Holly's actions. She let it go, though. It is what friends do for each other.

Brook looked puzzled at his mom. Why did she do that for him? She hadn't done anything like that in the past. It seemed odd. "Really? She did that? Weird. Yeah, I think I will go thank her." Brook stood and began walking towards the door, but was stopped before he made it through the portal.

"Where do you think you're going? You can go thank her after you eat something. Now, sit down at this table, and wait to be fed." Pyria ordered sternly. She was in protective mother mode, and he knew full well that there was no reasoning with her until she got her way.

Brook sat down, and began to eat the delicious platter that had been laid before him. Then, he began to shovel it into his mouth when he felt the hunger finally hit him. Once the food was finished, Brook sat back to let the food settle, and, once he felt better, he finally made his way over Vlad's house.

Holly bid Vladimir goodbye as she ran out the door, slamming it shut with a thud. She felt bad for how badly she abused that door, but it is what it is. She wasn't going to stop now. Starting up the path towards Brook's house, she went over all the things that she wanted to talk to him and ask him about. As she went over each item in her mind, she kept moving forward automatically without really thinking about what she was doing. She was thinking and not looking. Holly was so distracted that she ran headlong into a wall. Her hands splayed out to save her from the fall, but a strong pair of arms stopped her before she could eat dirt.

She looked up, and sighed. "Oh, Brook. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." It was precisely at this moment that she realized how close she was to the half-elf, and how nice it felt to be in his arms. She blushed. "I was actually coming over to see you."

Brook set her on her feet before looking her over. She looked disheveled. He had seen her pull all nighters before, but this was something new. He placed his hand behind his neck, unsure about why she would need to see him, but he spoke up before she could continue. "I was actually on my way to see you." He replied awkwardly.

Holly laughed. "I guess we're kind of in synch today. Why don't we go find a nice tree to sit under, and we can talk about… Well, everything. A lot has happened over the last day. Hasn't it?"

Brook let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, you can say that again. Lets do that. It sounds nice." Brook turned, and began to make his way to the nearby grove that they would hang out at when they were younger.

"That again." Holly responded, following Brook's lead. "Why don't you go first?"

Brook found a place to sit, and made himself comfy. He stretched a bit before he looked to Holly. "Okay. Well, I wanted to thank you for, first of all, bringing me home yesterday. You didn't have to do that. And, secondly, thank you for taking that test for me today. That you really didn't have to do. I could have just taken it, like, next week." He said confused. "Thanks, though, it means a lot." He smiled to her, glad to have her around.

"Honestly, it was just a gut decision. I know that math tests stress you out, and I wanted to make sure that you felt better faster after what happened yesterday." She smiled back at him, grabbing his hand and rubbing the back of it with her thumb comfortingly. "As for taking you home, you would have done the same for me."

Brook felt her hand on his, and smiled. It was a simple thing, but the feeling made his heart skip a beat. He got his wits about him, and quickly focused on her words. "Yeah, I would have. You're right. That's why you are the smart one!" He smiled, jokingly. His brow furrowed for a moment as he tried to remember the few moments before he blacked out. "What exactly happened? I don't remember even walking to the nurse. The last thing I remember was talking to you. Could you help me fill in the details?" He said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I wasn't there for the whole thing, but, basically, you were trying to get to the nurse when some people got in your way. From what I understand, you got pretty disoriented. After that, you kinda lost it, and- I was there for this part- your eyes turned white and the wind picked up. Then, you levitated for a minute before you passed out. It was cool, and kind of terrifying." She replied. "Sorry there's not more to tell."

Brook listened to her story, and the whole time he tried to remember any part of what she was saying. Sadly, though it was coming up blank for him. "Huh, weird." Brook said dumbfounded. He looked back at his friend, and smiled. "Well, guess I will just have to take your word for it then. I can't remember a thing." He let out a wide grin, showing his teeth and looking like a doofus.

Holly lightly pushed Brook's shoulder. "Put that dumb face away, you loon. I'm trying to be serious here."

"Sorry. Force of habit." He apologized. His face had a more serious look before he looked her in the eyes. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, some… things happened while I was you today." She blushed, looking down at her hands.

"Wait, you were me!?" He asked not sure how it could be done in any practical sense.

Holly looked up at him, and she laughed. It wasn't a laugh at him, but she just thought his reaction was funny. "Well, yeah, I had to be you to take the test, silly. At first, I was just going to disguise self, but you're more than a foot taller than me. And, Vlad didn't prepare seeming today, so I was stuck being True Polymorphed. It was really weird."

Brook looked over his gnome companion, and had a look of confusion and shock. "Okay, I guess that makes sense, but what is True Polymorph? Still kinda new to the whole magic thing." Brook waved his hands over himself, making a point.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't thinking. So, Polymorph lets someone become a beast for an hour. True Polymorph lets you become, well, anything for an hour, or, if you let the spell go for an hour, permanently until dispelled." She explained with a flippant wave, like such powerful magics were commonplace. She'd grown used to them, living with Vlad for so long.

"Oh. Well, then, I am sorry that you had to become stupider to take my test for me." He grinned before giving her a quick hug.

Holly looked at Brook with a dumbfounded look. "It was still me running the ship in there, Evenwood, and, if my math is correct, and I know it is, you got a solid 87% on that test."

"Holy shit! That is the highest score I've ever gotten on a math test! Thanks!" Brook smiled widely at her. She may have just saved him from failing the class entirely.

"I wish that it could have been higher, but I figured that, if you got a perfect score out of the blue, your teacher would have thought it strange." Holly frowned. "Also, I need to learn to become ambidextrous if I want to use disguise spells more often. There are not many left handed people around here, and it was just awful trying to write with my right today."

Brook chuckled. He could actually envision the frustration as she attempted to do that. "Again, sorry, and thank you. You are the best friend a guy could ask for."

Holly listened to his words, but, knowing what she knew from her time as Brook, she could also hear what was behind those words that he didn't say. "Brook?"

"Yeah?"

Holly took a deep breath, closing her eyes so that she couldn't cry. "How long has James been antagonizing you? When did it start? Why have you been keeping quiet about it?"

Brook froze in place. If she found out about that, he was worried where this conversation was headed. He let out a sigh. This was going to be a long talk. "Well, it started just after you and him started dating. He had said a few remarks to me in passing, but it only got worse after you started hanging out more often." Brook trailed off, annoyed with himself. He really didn't like that asshole.

Holly opened her eyes finally. They were shimmering with wet, unshed tears, and they looked more blue than normal. "What has he said? Why didn't you tell me? I would have… I could have… I don't know, but things might be different."

"I didn't say anything because… you looked happy." Brook trailed off. He looked into her eyes, and had the same pang of guilt as when he saw her kissing James in the first place. He hated when she cried. "Also, it was just mean words. Half-breed, weirdo, freak. Nothing out of the ordinary. It didn't involve you." Brook looked away, annoyed with himself. Why did it have to be so hard to talk to her?

"W- while I was playing my part as you today, I didn't realize that he was doing this, and I defended you. Your powers flared up, and, I guess, I scared him off. When I left school, I bumped into him, and he threatened me… you… He said that if you told Holly that you'd regret it." The tears fell from her eyes now, and she into him. Her head rested on his chest, and, even in her distress, she found comfort in the sound of his heartbeat and the faint smell of crisp air that clung to him.

Brook didn't expect her to jump into him, and her crying, made his eyes start to well up. He gently rubbed her back to console her. He really did hate when she cried. He felt her sobbing on his chest, and could feel the wetness begin to soak through his shirt. When did things become so complicated with her? "Holly, I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you because he wasn't worth it. I just wanted you to be happy, and I was never really worried about him fighting me. I can handle myself. I was more worried that…" Brook trailed off. Tears were filling his eyes now. He hated to even think the thought.

"He never hurt me, Brook." Holly assured him, softly placing a hand on his cheek, looking up into his eyes. "He… wanted things that I wasn't ready for, but I used Shocking Grasp and shoved him off. He seemed to get the idea after that."

"Good." Brook nodded. He was glad, rather, he knew that she could take care of herself, and knew that, between the two of them, she was the tougher one. But, just the thought of her being hurt... "If he had hurt you, well. I would be his worst nightmare." Brook looked off into the distance, his mind going to a dark place. He was quickly brought back to reality, though, by Holly's mere presence. She grounded him.

"Thank you, Brook. Really. Thank you." She responded, swiping the tears out of her eyes, and trying to steel herself for her next line of inquiry. "There's… just, one more thing that I wanted to talk to you about."

Brook sat up a little straighter, and wiped his eyes clear. "What's that?" He smiled to the best of his abilities.

"At lunch today, your friend John said-" She paused, wondering if she should say it, could say it. After her conversation with Brook, her relationship with James was all but over, but… what of Brook? She looked at him, and knew what she needed to do. "He said that you have the hots for me."

Brook felt everything stop. He felt angry at his friend John for saying that, even though he knew that he was talking to a perfect duplicate. He wanted to kick his teeth in. He looked at Holly, and was overcome with emotions. Should he tell her the truth? Lie? Kiss her? He had a million things running through his head, and he couldn't find the right answer. He looked her in the eyes, and nodded. Then he lowered his head, awaiting her judgement.

"Brook, I've been thinking about this all afternoon." She started. "I'm going to wait awhile so that James doesn't suspect you, and I'll leave him. But, and don't take this the wrong way, I didn't start thinking of you as a man until today. You were just… Brook. You were family.

"And, now that I've had some time to think about it, I could see you as more than that, if you wanted me to." She looked up at him, and saw that he was still looking down, into his lap, so, without thinking, she climbed into it, pulling his chin up so that he had to meet her eyes. "Tell me what to do. I'm so confused, and today has just been… crazy."

Brook looked into her eyes, he heard her words, but he wasn't sure if he had heard them right. He went over them briefly, and a shocked look came across his face. He thought about what he thought of her, and the shocking turn of events that had transpired. "I… I would like that. It has been something that had crossed my mind a few months ago, and it has been hard, not thinking about you the same way since." Brook felt relieved that he had finally gotten to say what he wanted to say so many months ago. It was a weight lifted off of his chest. "I am more than willing to wait for you. So, please, don't rush yourself. Okay?" He gave a half-smile, hoping to cheer her up.

Holly blushed, realizing that she was perched in Brook's lap, their chests were pressed up against each other, and both of their faces were tear stained. This was not her exact idea of romantic, but, then again, this was just so… them. It was natural, like breathing. She realized in that moment that being with Brook could be so easy. She could see their lives together, and it was a good one. She looked at him with new eyes, and she leaned forward; her breath softly greeting his lips. "Can- I… try something?" She asked, making sure that he was okay with their closeness.

Brook now noticed just how close they were, and the situation that they were in. His breath was shallow, but he was still able to speak. "Uhh… yeah." He said almost whispering, unsure of what she was going to do next.

Holly didn't pause, afraid that she would lose her nerve, so she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Brook's. She found that they were soft and pliable, and he tasted… electric. Without her consent, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she pulled herself closer to him. Her lips opened, and she pulled back not even an inch to catch the breath that she had lost. Opening her eyes, she found that they met his.

Brook was beet red, and breathing heavily. He had imagined that for a while, but actually doing it was light years away from his wildest thoughts. He took a moment to catch his breath before his arms carefully wrapped around her form, holding her close. Then, he returned the favor in kind, allowing himself to relax and go with the flow of things.

When Brook kissed her back, their second kiss- her chest tightened. His arms around her made her feel safe, and the way his fingers gripped her tight but not too tight made her feel loved. She found that her own fingers had tangled in his hair, and she was almost unwilling to let go. It was so soft and smooth. She could just drown in the sensation of it. This felt right, and, not to compare, but it felt nothing like James's cloying and needy kisses. She enjoyed the sweet, headiness that Brook's kisses elicited. These kisses were soft but urgent; these could take her somewhere, and she was excited to find out exactly where that was. She kissed him again. This time, it was more urgent, more wanting. She wanted more of Brook, and it didn't scare her. She felt safe. She felt wanted, and she wanted him in return.

Brook kissed her back. The feeling was incredible. The taste of her lips had a sweet aftertaste that he wanted more of. He could smell her hair, which had the faint smell of a fruit he just couldn't quite make out. It calmed him, relaxed him. He had kissed girls before, but this was something else entirely for him. This didn't stress him out like before. This was meant to be. He pulled her closer to his chest, not wanting to let go of this moment that they had together. He could stay like this for the rest of his life. He felt his hands wander, feeling her small yet beautiful form. His mind raced, dashing to the next point in his mind. He opened his eyes for all but a moment to make sure that she was actually there. Thankfully, she was. He closed his eyes, but, then, they darted open again. The sky was dark. He pushed her away awkwardly, and caught his breath. How long had they been that way? An hour? Two? He didn't know. "Uh… sorry." He trailed off, not sure of what to really say.

"No." She shook her head, making her ears go with her, which made him smirk secretly. "You don't get to be sorry for that. That was phenomenal. I… want more of that."

Brook looked at her curiously. This was shocking to him. He was impressed that things had gone this way. He gave a quick smile. "Well… if you insist." He pulled her close for yet another embrace. This time, he felt his tongue explore her mouth. It was odd, but she didn't stop him. So, he continued, wanting to know more about his friend, and, now, apparently, girlfriend?

She felt Brook's tongue join her own, and hers pressed against his. If she thought that his kisses tasted electric before, she was now overwhelmed by static electricity. Goosebumps raised all over her body, and his hands on her arms felt like it was sending jolts of lightning through her. She felt his body near hers, and she wanted to be closer, pressing herself against him until she felt a hardness coming from his trousers that wasn't there before. She paused, coming to her senses, and, this time, pushing herself away. "I, uh, sorry."

Brook looked at her, and, then, realized that he was at attention. He blushed, and tried to cover himself up as best he could. "Uh, sorry as well. I, wasn't expecting… any of this. Ever." He looked away from her, but still kept his gaze on her. He had an idea of what was going through her mind, and sat up straight. "If you don't want to go any further, that's fine with me. We can take our time with all of this. Honestly, it might be for the best. This is, well, kinda weird." he sheepishly smiled.

"Sorry." She started, trying hard not to look at his… predicament and failing. "I just- I just realized that it wasn't that I wasn't ready for sex. I just didn't want to have it with James. That, and… I want to be broken up with him before we… and it's starting to get late. We should probably… I'm not making any sense am I?"

"No, you're fine. It is late. And, yeah, I get what you are saying. Let's wait for the right moment." Brook carefully lifted her off of him, and stood up before brushing himself off. "Lets, uh, head back home. Our own homes… separately. Don't want Mom and Vlad to worry. Right?"

"Right." She nodded, looking over and up at him. "Uh, Brook? Would you mind walking me to Vlad's? Now that I know about James, I really don't want to run into him on my own if I don't have to."

Brook looked her over. He nodded. He would always be there for her. "Yeah, I can do that." He held out a hand, ready to lead her home.

Holly took his hand, lacing her fingers in his. It felt strange at first, but it was nice. It made her feel closer to him even though they were just walking side by side. The walk back to Vlad's place was relatively short, and Holly turned to Brook before she opened the door. "What do we tell them? Vlad and Mom?"

Brook held the back of his neck, he had honestly forgotten about them. "I- Have no fucking clue." he sighed. "Maybe, we just wait, and figure it out as we go?"

"That's fine." She answered easily. "I was just hoping that you weren't going to suggest we keep it a secret."

"Hah, knowing Mom, we couldn't keep it a secret if we tried." Brook laughed. Then, he let out a sigh. "Besides, it would just feel wrong if we did that."

Holly smiled softly at him, not knowing the words to say and not wanting to ruin the moment. So, she simply tugged on his arm a bit, forcing him to bend over, and lightly pressing her lips against his. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Love you." Holly swiftly let herself into the house after that, and, as the door shut behind her, she realized what she'd just said. Fuck. Those words were a familial force of habit, but, at the same time, she realized that she meant them as more than that. She covered her face with a hand. She was so screwed.

Holly found that Vladimir was on the couch when she entered, playing with his familiar, Benji. He looked over at her, and studied her for a minute. "You okay?"

"Yeah, more than okay." She responded, smiling up at him. "You won't want details. It involves kissing a boy."

"Yeah. Goodnight." Vlad responded, covering his ears, and watching her walk down the hallway with a grumpy frown on his face.

Holly didn't stay up late to craft this night. Her mind was too busy with other things, and she didn't want to break her latest invention due to lack of concentration. Instead, she fell asleep, dreaming of the half-elf that she loved.

Brook found himself standing outside his older brother's house, now in complete darkness. He stood in place for a moment, going over the words Holly had said just before she had closed the door behind her. He gave a light chuckle, and, almost whispering, replied. "Love you too." He turned, and began to walk back to his house. When he was well out of earshot of Vlad's place, he pinched himself hard just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. It hurt. Today was real. Within the last 24 hours, he had gone from a nobody, with no girlfriend and no real ambitions. To finding out that he is a sorcerer, and that the girl that he had admired from afar, liked him as well.

He walked up to the door of his house, and opened it, inside he saw his mother sitting on the couch reading a book. She glanced up at the clock and, then, back to her son. "You're back late. Is everything okay between you and Holly?" She asked curiously.

"Uhh, yeah! We're fine. We just got carried away in a conversation, is all." Brook gave a smile, hoping it would be enough for his mother, and her bullshit detector.

Pyria looked Brook over, and gave a soft smile. "Good. I do hope that you thanked her for sticking her neck out for you. You did right?" She gave an affirmative stare this time, making sure he had done the job as promised.

Brook nodded, and a stupid smile curled across his face. "Yeah, I think I did at least." He felt himself start to blush, and he quickly made an excuse to leave. "Well, it's late, and I have school tomorrow so I am just going to head straight to bed. Night!" He turned, and made a beeline for his room.

Pyria looked at Brook curiously. He had a look that she had seen on him before, and knew it in an instant. "Good night, sleep well." She smiled. Brook didn't see it as he made his way, and shut the door behind him. Pyria stretched and laid back before continuing to read her book. "She could have at least cast Prestidigitation after they were done. She is smarter than that." She quietly said to herself as she flipped a page. "I could smell her the second he walked in the door."

Brook laid down on his bed. His mind raced; his thoughts were scattered, but they all kept going back to Holly. Brook yawned into a private smile as he began to drift off into sleep. The thought of Holly being the thing that kept his sleep calm and peaceful.


	13. Dropping Some Dead Weight

AN: TRIGGER WARNING

Hey everybody,

If you read no other author's note, please read this one.

This chapter contains attempted sexual assault.

If you're not okay with reading that, please do not. Just skip to the next chapter.

~MrsAlderaan

* * *

When Brook awoke, it was with a start even moreso than his usual morning wake up call. He quickly took a shower, and got dressed. Waiting for him, was a large breakfast that his mother had made. She looked at him, and smiled. "Good morning. You're up early. Sleep well?" She asked rhetorically.

Brook sat down, and began to take a bite of some toast. "Mmhmm." He said, still chewing his food. He quickly swallowed, and spoke again. "Yeah, it was well needed. One of the best sleeps I have had in awhile." He smiled, and began to eat the rest of the food on his plate.

Pyria smiled at her son. She knew exactly what was going on. He was almost never this happy in the morning, and, given the scent coming off of him last night, which still lingered into the day, she could only assume that Brook and Holly had finally shared their feelings for each other. She had known for some time that they liked each other; it was only a matter of time before they confessed. She sat down across from Brook, and quietly sipped her tea. The next question was, when would they tell her and Vlad? That, she could wait to find out. This was better than some of the books she had read. It was positively exciting to see young love. She looked at Brook as he was getting up from the table to leave, and gave him a farewell kiss. "Have a wonderful day!" She said with a secretive smirk.

"Thanks, mom, you too!" He exclaimed, grabbing his bag and bolting out the door. He began to make his way towards Vlad's house, eager to see his companion.

Holly basically hadn't slept. She remembered her eyes being closed, and she remembered laying down. Everything in between was a blur. Her mind had been reeling all night. She was high on dopamine and endorphins and every other feel good chemical her brain could create, and she honestly couldn't tell if her actions the night before had been her own or the chemicals her brain created urging her forward. Breakfast was a quick and quiet affair, Vladimir noticing the darker than normal circles under her eyes. When she rushed out of the house that morning, she breathed a sigh of relief to see Brook standing there, waiting. She smiled, and she realized it was lack of sleep that was trying to convince her that everything was in her imagination. She really ought to sleep more.

She ran over to Brook, and bounced onto her tiptoes for a kiss. "Good Morning!" She called out, incredibly happy to find that he returned the affection just as readily as she gave it.

Brook smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, happy to find that yesterday evening's events weren't just a one night occurrence. "Good morning, how did you sleep?" He asked as he looked into her eyes, and he saw the circles that were there. They were darker than normal. "Nevermind, you barely got any sleep. Didn't you?" He sighed.

"What can I say except that anxiety is a hell of a drug?" She responded. "I couldn't get my brain to stop thinking that last night wasn't real."

"Really? I was almost positive it was dream up until I woke up this morning. Thank the gods, it wasn't." Brook sighed, glad that this was real. He unknowingly grabbed Holly's hand, and began to make his way towards their school.

Holly looked over at him, and frowned a bit. She wiggled her hand out of his before she whispered, "Sorry, Brook. We've still got to pretend like things are normal between us for another… tenday, I guess. How long do you think it will take to not look suspicious?"

Brook deflated when Holly said that, but it was what they'd agreed to. He picked himself up, and looked her over. "Honestly, probably two tenday. I know it's not the best, but it will draw less attention." He sighed, annoyed with the length of time. Why couldn't this be easier? There were simply too many obstacles.

Holly looked at him, and rolled her eyes. "Ugh." She stomped her foot rather petulantly. "I don't want to wait that long." The gnome huffed a bit, humming before finally breaking down. "Alright, but I don't want to be alone with him during that time. And, if he tries anything that I don't want to do, I'm ending it then and there. And, I want to see you after school at our grove… daily."

"Deal." Brook responded quickly and decisively. He could live with those terms, but what would he do for two tendays? It would get boring. He looked at Holly, and, then, to his hands. "Actually, it might not be so bad- this brief period of time. I might be able to try and figure out how to use all of this magicy bullshit that I now can do." He tried making a few sparks from his fingers, and, after a brief moment, did so. "See!?" He smiled.

"That's really good." She giggled at his antics. "You'll be casting like Vlad in no time. I wonder what sort of spells you're going to have? Maybe we can do some research at the library."

"That's fine by me, but could you do me a favor?" Brook asked worriedly.

Holly looked over at Brook, confusion setting in. "What's that?"

"Please make sure that I don't blow myself up. I have heard stories, none of which ended nicely." Brook grimaced, and a shutter ran down his back.

Holly actually burst into raucous laughter at that, and she found herself looking with sympathy at the half-elf. "Brook, between the two of us, I'm more likely to blow off a limb or cause myself to combust. I work with gunpowder on a regular basis... Don't tell Vlad that… If you listened to any of Vlad's crazy stories about the dark magic that he experienced wherever he was, you can rest assured that you are not the type of spellcaster that will blow up."

Brook smiled, glad that Holly would be watching out for his well being. "Thanks. Also, don't blow yourself up. There isn't much of you, and it would be hard to find the pieces." Brook chuckled before taking a large step sideways to avoid her oncoming ire.

"Was that a joke about my size, Evenwood?!" She nearly shouted, causing his eardrums to throb painfully. "I'll have you know that I have built a full sized trebuchet, and am not afraid to unshrink it and use it on you."

Brook cocked his head to the side, trying to think of where it would be. "Really!? Where is it? Under your bed? Because those things are massive!" He attempted to call her bluff, if it even was one. Knowing her, it might actually exist.

"It's in my backpack, of course." She smiled darkly, realizing that she'd won. "Want to see?"

Brook looked her over, and shook his head. "You win. Let's just get to school before the sun sets. It's going to be a long day." Brook sighed, now. Seeing the school off in the distance, he sighed again. Too long of a day, and an even longer two tenday, he thought, looking at his companion.

"Is it too late to go back home and fake sick?" She asked seriously. "Or, maybe, we can run away."

Brook sighed before grabbing Holly's backpack and dragging her. "Come on, let's just get this over with. The sooner the better." He let her go, making sure she was ahead of him.

"I wasn't actually going to do it. I like it here, but…" She looked over at Brook with a serious look on her face. "Wouldn't it be cool to get out and see the world one day? Maybe we could even sail across the sea to the other part of Theisa."

Brook looked at her serious expression before stopping and reaching into his bag. He rifled around for a moment, and pulled out a very used and weathered sketchbook. He opened it just a few pages before handing it to her. "Kinda like that?" He asked, pointing to a picture of a mighty sailing ship with a storm in the background.

"Exactly like that! I can see it now. The dread pirate Timbers and her swarthy crew of buccaneers." She joked before blushing impressively. "I… don't think that I want to actually pirate, but it does have a nice ring to it, right?"

Brook smiled, and face palmed himself before taking the book back. "Timbers? Where is that coming from?" He laughed. "But, yeah, it has a ring to it." He smiled back at her. The idea actually sounded like fun.

"My last name does leave a little bit to be desired. Goblinsfoe. Real original." She responded. "Besides, the name is familiar, and carries a certain stigma in certain parts of the world. I'd rather not use it to become a famous ship captain."

Brook chuckled. "Okay, fine. That makes sense."

At this point, the pair were practically on the school grounds, so Holly reluctantly bid Brook adieu, and went to go find her friends like normal. It felt like she was tearing a piece of herself away when she left Brook, having to pretend that there was nothing between them besides their normal rapport, and, when James kissed her at lunch time, it was all she could do to keep herself from pushing him away and becoming sick at the feel of it. She felt dirty after that kiss, and she swiftly ran to the bathroom afterwards to cast prestidigitation on her mouth. Yuck. This was going to be a very, very long two tenday, and today was only day one.

Brook went about his day as normal, but it felt so much different from before. The entirety of his classes were spent thinking about Holly and what happened the night before. Come lunchtime, Brook made his way to eat at the usual table with his friends, sitting down with them and chatting. Off in the distance, he could see Holly and her friends chatting away happily. He gave a secretive smile at the sight of her. The conversation went on normally until Brook saw James approach Holly. He walked over to her friends, and, in front of them, kissed her square on the lips. The lips he had felt on his last night. Brook felt a fire grow in him, and he wanted to stand up and confront that asshole. Instead, he let out a sigh. "Two tenday." He whispered to himself. He could get through this. He had to.

Holly was laying down on her stomach with her homework laid out on the ground before her while Brook leaned up against a tree to do some reading. Holly had borrowed a book from the school library on sorcery during the day and had rather unceremoniously handed it to him when they'd met back up on their way home from school. He was excited to learn more about his type of magic. From family stories, he knew enough about other types of magic, but next to nothing about being a sorcerer.

Every few minutes, he found himself looking back up at Holly, and he smiled. Things were like normal, except it was entirely different. He felt different. Reading along in the book, he found that the spell he had cast the other night was Shocking Grasp. He could still feel the power there at his fingertips, so he tried it again, finding that it was easier to do this time.

Hearing this, Holly turned to look at Brook, and she saw the sparks of lightning on his fingers. She smiled at him, sitting up to look at him properly. "Great job! It took me ages to learn Shocking Grasp."

"Yeah, thanks. That's only the second time I cast it. It feels so natural. It's kind of strange that I couldn't do this before." He tried to explain, but the words came up short. "What's the most powerful spell you know?"

Holly shrugged. "It's all very fluid. Any spell in the right hands can be considered powerful."

"What spell do you know that can do the most damage?" He asked more specifically.

Holly thought for a moment before finally coming up with an answer. "Arcane weapon."

Brook thought for a moment, "I don't think I've ever seen you cast that. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen Vlad cast that. Where'd you learn it?"

Blushing, Holly looked away from Brook. She didn't want to make him feel badly about his own new magics, but she also didn't want to abruptly end the conversation. "I saw some information on the theory of spellcrafting, and I don't know many damaging spells. So, I decided that I should make a spell that would help me be more useful if combat ever became necessary."

Brook looked at Holly in shock and awe. "You made a spell? That's awesome!" He smiled widely, looking at her with fascination as his mind reeled with information.

She bit her lip, but couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you. I'll show you sometime when I have my crossbow on me."

Brook looked her up and down appraisingly. "I know that you're more than capable, but that just sounds strange."

"It was one of the few weapons Vlad could actually teach me to use. I had to ask Glissenda to show me how to use other crossbows the last time she visited." Holly explained, remembering how excited her sister was to teach her how to use 'a proper weapon'. "I really like Heavy Crossbows."

Brook put his book down, and moved over to her until he was hovering just above her, their lips inches apart. "Now, you're just fucking with me."

She leaned up, and kissed him, "No, I really like Heavy Crossbows. Seriously."

He chuckled, leaning back and giving her some space again. "I won't believe it until I see it. Maybe bring the crossbow tomorrow."

"Brook, I can't bring a crossbow to school." She giggled, pushing his chest playfully.

Brook rolled his eyes. "Then, did you actually bring a fully functioning trebuchet to school today or not?"

"I did, but that's different. That, I can shrink down magically. I can't shrink a crossbow." She responded plainly, like it wasn't a huge deal to shrink a siege weapon to backpack sized.

"I have no idea how that works, and I'm not sure that I want to know." He flailed his hands kind of helplessly over his head. "How much more homework do you have left?"

She glanced over at the paperwork laid out all around, "The only bit that I have to finish is math; the rest is all due about a week out. I just like to work ahead."

"Yeah, I remember." He groaned. "I wish that we didn't have to go to school. I want to go on that adventure you were talking about this morning."

Holly smiled, appraising Brook with a single glance. "I'll need to learn how to sail a ship. I'm not really sure where to begin to be honest."

"We'll figure it out together." Brook promised. "Now, finish your math so that I can shamelessly make out with you." Holly laughed, rolling over and getting back to work.

A tenday had passed, and the young couple was growing more and more impatient to be officially together. Their stolen kisses were becoming more desperate with each passing day. After school on this day, the pair were lazing about in the grove of trees that they so favored, and Holly was lounging on top of Brook, her head resting on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "Um, Brook?"

"Yeah?" He asked, tracing patterns on her back with a finger. His head turned up to look at her properly. Holly looked over at him, their eyes meeting and locking together, communicating without words. Holly's eyes were glistening. She looked upset. "What's wrong?"

"James asked me out on a date on the night of eighth day. I'm still pretending that everything is normal, so," She paused, gulping down emotion. "I told him yes."

Brook's stomach dropped. That wasn't something that he wanted to hear. "Where are you going?"

Holly looked down, and her ears drooped as she did so. Her nose was not even an inch from his chest. "We're going to go get dinner in town. I was hoping that… I was hoping that you could find a way to be nearby so that I'm not actually alone with him. Knowing that he's capable of such… darkness, really scares me."

Brook pulled Holly closer, resting his chin on the top of her head, and closing his eyes. "Yeah, I'll figure something out. Maybe, I'll find a date or something so that I have an excuse to be close."

Holly leaned her head up, and kissed the underside of his chin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He muttered, savoring the feeling of her lips on his flesh.

Eighth day came, and the day passed quickly with Holly preparing for her date that night. When she was walking home with Brook, instead of going to the grove of trees, she kissed him briefly before making a beeline for her home so that she could get ready. She chose a comfortable outfit that covered everything important, not wanting to wear anything too revealing to entice James with. She kept her makeup to a minimum, which basically just amounted to eye liner and lip gloss. Looking in the mirror, she decided that she looked nice; she just wished that she looked nice for someone else. Thinking about James and his too wet lips and grabbing hands made her start to hyperventilate, and she found herself pressed against the bathroom door as she tried to keep herself from losing it.

She pulled herself together just in time to hear a knock on the front door. Vladimir answered, and he didn't look too happy about it. "Hello." He said to the boy on the other side of the door.

"Hi, there, sir. I'm here to pick up Holly." James replied smoothly, holding out a hand to shake Vlad's, but the wizard didn't take the bait.

The gnome reluctantly walked up from behind Vladimir, "Hello, James. Good to see you." She lied before looking over at the dark wizard beside her. "I'll be back by curfew. Still nine, right?" She asked, winking at Vlad even though she knew it was actually ten.

"Da. Is still nine. If you are not back by then, I will cast Scrying and come get you." The wizard promised, seeing how uncomfortable the girl that he raised seemed.

James smiled, reaching out his hand and grabbing her shoulder to steer her out of the house. The way that he grabbed her made her angry, but she stayed quiet. There were only a few days left. She could hold her peace for a few more days. The walk into town was a relatively quick one, and Holly didn't feel the need to fill it with idle conversation. James seemed content with the quiet as well, thankfully, so she wasn't forced to be civil for more conversation than necessary. They got to the restaurant, which was attached to a small inn, one of the most popular places to eat in the small hamlet.

When they arrived, they found a table to sit at, and the pair sat across from each other, ordering their meals before either of them began a conversation. "You've been quiet lately." James commented, looking at her seriously, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on his hands. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have been trying to figure out how to get my latest invention to work the way that I want. It's driving me mad, and I've had a lot of sleepless nights over it." She responded honestly. It really was the truth, just not the whole truth- the truth that she wanted to leave him.

She felt a strange pressure at the front of her head, and she blinked once or twice to clear her mind. That was strange. She rubbed her temples, and the pressure went away temporarily. "So, what's up with Brook? He had that meltdown a few weeks ago, and, ever since, it's like nothing ever happened. Huge show of magic, and, then, suddenly, nothing."

Holly thought about Brook and watching him practice casting in their special place. He was starting to get good, and he had even started casting more powerful spells over the last few days. She couldn't help but remember a few private moments that they'd shared, but she quickly redirected herself to answer her… boyfriend. She was starting to hate that word when it came to James. "He's just practicing spells at home now. He doesn't want to accidentally hurt someone. You know?"

"You sure have seemed to be really chummy with him lately." James commented in a sort of offhanded way. e looked like he was trying to pry for more information, and it was starting to make her really angry.

She glared at him with a look that could kill, and she responded a little harshly. "I grew up with him, and he just went through a huge life change. I'm being supportive, James, something that you could stand to learn about."

James raised his hands up in surrender. "Damn, Holly. I didn't know that you had claws."

She crossed her arms across her chest, taking a deep breath and trying to settle herself down. Three more days. She could do this. "I won't apologize. I'm not sorry."

"I always liked that fire you have." James smiled a disarming smile, and she saw as he took out a small piece of… (was that honeycomb?) from his pocket. He waved his hand, and spoke in a soothing voice. "You're going to eat dinner with me like nothing is wrong, and, then, you're going to go upstairs with me and let me have my way with you."

Holly felt the spell enter her mind, and she tried to fight off the magics as hard as she could. But, she wasn't strong enough, and she felt the magic settle into her mind before she could stop it. A tear fell down her cheek, and she wiped it away before an unwilling smile drew itself onto her lips. "You're an asshole." She muttered lowly for his ears only, eyes frantically searching for Brook, needing to find him to tell him. Maybe just a look would be enough. She knew that she couldn't say anything- the spell wouldn't let her, but he had to know. He needed to know that she was in trouble. She needed help.

Their meals came, and they both ate quietly. James forced some idle chit chat that she didn't care for, and, when the bill came, James paid for their meal and their… she gulped down bile… room. He firmly, but not painfully, grabbed her shoulder, leading her towards the inn. She tried to tell her feet to stop. To pause. Anything. Make it look like she was hesitating. She searched all around for Brook. Where was he? She needed him. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't breathe. She didn't want this- not with him. Not like this. He unlocked the door and pushed her gently inside where she stood helplessly, not knowing what to do, and not wanting to make anything easier on him. If she could stall, Brook would come. He would find her.

James locked the door behind him, and she felt the last of her hope fall away. Desperately, she grabbed one of her thieves tools from her pocket, dropping it softly on the carpet, and kicked it towards the door, hoping that Brook would find it and use it. James loomed over her, and he picked her up with his rough hands, placing her on the bed, and kissing her. His tongue entered her mouth, and she fought the urge to wretch. She didn't kiss him back, realizing that his words didn't tell her to reciprocate. She might not be able to stop him, but she could do this small thing. Maybe, it would be enough to get him to stop.

She felt as his hands pulled at her clothing, removing her shirt first. She wanted to grab it, cover herself up with it. She didn't want him to see her like this. His lips trailed down her neck to her chest, and he pulled the fabric of her undergarments out of the way to capture one of her nipples. When he sucked it into her mouth, he bit down. It didn't draw blood, but it made her call out. She was ashamed to say that she wasn't sure if the sound was one of pain or pleasure.

His hands reached behind her, and she felt when his fumbling finally unclasped the offending fabric that was in his way. He ripped it off of her faster than the Haste spell. His hands grabbed both of her breasts and kneaded them, squeezing a little too tightly for her liking. This felt all wrong. These should be Brook's soft hands worshipping her like she knew he would their first time and every time after. His tongue plundered her mouth, taking but giving nothing to her in return.

Her skin crawled with each touch, and she gasped in horror when one of his hands lowered itself to grab places that her pants were covering. From the look on his face, she could tell that the noise she'd just made excited James. Her jaw set itself tightly closed as she glared at him, unwilling to make this easy on him, but unable to fight back due to the magic he'd used on her.

He unbuttoned her pants, and pulled at them so there was room for his hand to fit down them. She felt his fingers rubbing over sensitive areas that had not been explored before, and she felt him push her underwear out of the way. His fingers none too gently found her opening, and, without further prompting, he pushed two of them into her. This time, she screamed in pain, and she felt her wits come about her. She shoved at him, trying to get him off of her, but he was so much larger than her that his body weight was enough to keep her pinned.

The push was enough to get his attention, though, and he sneered when he noticed that she'd broken his spell. "You bitch." He snarled lowly at her, removing his hand and using it to pull off her pants and underwear in one quick motion. "You couldn't just let this happen, could you?"

"No!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "Brook! Help! Help! Some-"

James covered her mouth with his hand, using no insignificant amount of his weight to keep the hand in place despite her struggles. He used his legs to spread hers and she saw that his manhood was hard in his pants. She screamed behind his hand, but it was too muffled. She was helpless and naked, and, whether she wanted it or not, this was going to happen. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as James unbuttoned his pants. He pulled down his pants just enough to release his erection, and her eyes grew wide. She tried to kick at him to get him to let her go, but the strikes didn't seem to affect him at all. She tried to think of some way to stop him that would save her and came up short. She closed her eyes tightly, praying to any god that would listen to save her.

Holly was so focused on what was happening to her that she didn't notice the door to the room open until someone was ripping James from on top of her, throwing him to the ground with a startling thud. Her mind raced to catch up, but her tear stained eyes were blurry from panic and pain from being pinned down. She scrambled to grab onto something, anything to cover up with to maintain her modesty, and, as she did so, she heard the voice of her rescuer. It was Brook. Every muscle in her body instantly relaxed. She was safe. He was here.

Brook pulled James off of Holly, and, as he hit the floor, Brook was finally able to grasp the whole situation. He looked over Holly, she was naked, her eyes red, and clothes slightly torn. Brook looked away, he didn't want to see her like this. He turned his gaze to James who was floundering on the ground, trying to stand up. "How dare you?" Brook growled. He had been angry before, but this. This was new. Brook for all intents and purposes, was absolutely livid.

James looked up to the half-elf angrily. "What the fuck are you doi-" James was cut short as Brook gave him a swift punch to the right side of his head.

"You don't get to talk!" Brook yelled at his target, his rage building. "Of all of the people in the world you could've tried to get into their pants with, why her?" He demanded, wanting, no, needing a reason not to break every bone in his body.

James looked up at Brook, and spat blood at him. He gave an evil smile. "Because she was hot, and I wanted a good fuck!" He stood up, and readied himself for whatever the half-elf had to offer. Brook's eyes turned white as he felt his magic surge into him. James's eyes went wide. He wasn't expecting to see the wrath of this simple half-elf; he thought Brook was just all bravado. James darted forward, and threw two punches at Brook both hitting their target. James smiled as Brook reeled over, and coughed.

Brook grabbed onto James's arm as sparks wrapped his fingertips, and he cast shocking grasp on James, causing him to twitch and spasm on the ground. "You are worse than scum. I will make you pay for hurting her." He raged. He actually felt like he would enjoy this.

James stood up, albeit a bit wobbly, before sprinting towards Brook, tackling him to the wall. He began to punch and kick the half-elf as he laid on the floor. "I would like to see you try! You pathetic, worthless, half-breed!" He almost wailed as his fists repeatedly slammed into Brook. As James's assault continued, he failed to notice that the room, which had no wind passing through it originally, now had a strong breeze forming, and, then, a moment later, a torrent.

The wind quickly enveloped Brook, and, in an instant, he flew ten feet away from James who didn't have time to react. Brook turned around and pulled out a twig, a twig that had been struck by lightning once before. He pointed a finger at James, and a crackling beam of blue energy lanced forward, connecting with him. Brook focused, and kept the spell going for a minute straight. When the spell's duration was finished, James fell to the ground unconscious, badly singed and barely breathing.

Brook fell to the ground sore and in pain. He took a few quick and sharp breaths before looking to Holly. "Sorry I'm late. Had to get something first." He said, holding up the twig.

"Thank you." She sighed, but it came out as a sob. She waved over at the unconscious body on the floor. "I don't know what I would have done if… that… had happened."

Brook stood up and moved over to sit down next to Holly. "Well, don't think about it." Brook soothed, trying to calm her nerves. He looked her over to make sure that she wasn't hurt or bleeding. "Are you okay? You're not hurt at all are you?" He asked a bit of blood on his face.

Holly grabbed his arm, waving her other hand, and watched as his wounds closed before her. "I'm hardly hurt compared to you, idiot."

Brook smiled, and hung his head slightly. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, is all." He said, grabbing her hand comfortingly.

"I… will be okay." She said, leaning her head against his shoulder to hide her face. "That was the most horrifying experience of my life."

Brook rubbed her back soothingly. He could tell that she was on edge. "Shh… it's okay. It will never happen again. I promise." He looked down at her, and, then, over to the body in the corner. "Now, come on. Let's get you out of here and back home." He moved her just enough so that he could look into her eyes. "Okay?"

"Can we go to the grove together? I need to settle down before Vlad sees me like this." Holly begged, eyes threatening to tear.

Brook simply nodded. "Of course, we can. We will take as long as you need." He gave her an affirmative smile, hoping to help calm her even if only a little.

Holly hopped off of the bed practically running out of the room before she stopped, reaching out her hand for Brook's. He offered his to her, and their fingers laced together. They started quietly making their way back in the direction of home until Holly looked over at Brook. "Did you fly back there?"

He looked at her, and thought it over in his head. It had felt that way, even somewhat controlled. "Uhh… yeah, I think I did!" He said, shocked by his own words and actions.

"Well, you looked very heroic doing it." She tried not to think about the past few terrifying hours, but her mind kept going back to it. She got really quiet, and couldn't help but sniff, holding back tears. "You should have been the one touching me like that for the first time. He… that asshole took that choice away from me."

Brook had no words. He really didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine what it was like for her to have that happen to her. He simply stopped, and hugged her tightly, protectively. He just wanted her to feel safe right now.

She hugged him back, holding onto him tightly and finding that she was shaking in his arms. "I know I shouldn't dwell on it, but I was so scared that you'd show up too late. I'm sorry that I doubted you even for a moment."

"No, don't be. I should've arrived sooner. Then, it wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." Brook held her, feeling his eyes begin to water. He could feel her shaking; he knew it was nerves, but he wanted to keep her warm and safe. He felt like he hadn't done either of those things. "I'm sorry. I was almost too late. I should have kicked his ass months ago."

"Please, don't blame yourself. He's the one at fault, not us." Holly held onto him for a moment longer before letting him go, continuing forward and leading him to their place. She found a spot and sat down, patting the area next to her as an invitation for him to join her. "We still have some time before I have to be home. Speaking of which…"

Holly used her sending stone to Vlad to inform him that she was with Brook, and didn't need to be checked on. After that, she promptly proceeded to thank Brook for rescuing her by kissing him senseless.

Brook jumped when Holly began to pepper him with kisses her mouth caressing his. He put his arms around her, holding her closely. He moved his head back to first catch his breath, and, then, to look at her. "Uh, thank you for that." He paused, feeling odd about the situation. "I'm glad that you are okay. I'm not sure what I would do without you." He smiled, actually trying to imagine a world where they either never met or she had been taken, and stopping himself short that was not something he ever wanted to experience.

"You look nervous. Are you okay?" She inquired, concerned about the look he had on his face.

Brook nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, and, no, I'm not nervous. I'm never nervous around you. You make me feel… calm, like when it rains." He gave her a smile back, and brushed a hand against her cheek.

"Brook?" She mumbled, suddenly remembering something from earlier in the day.

"Yeah, Holly?" He asked curiously.

"When I was at dinner, before James cast suggestion on me, I felt like something was happening with my head. Like, I don't know… it was really strange. Was that you? Or, do you know what it might have been?" She closed her eyes, trying to remember more details and coming up short.

Brook looked at her, and thought of a spell that could potentially do that. He had only been a caster for a little while, so he was drawing a blank. "Well, it wasn't me, for starters. I don't know of any spell like that. I just kind of feel my spells out. What did it feel like when it happened?"

"I don't know. It was like a pressure. A niggling feeling right at the front. My head felt too full, and, then, it was just gone." She tried to describe the sensation, but she wasn't sure that she was explaining it well enough. She would ask Vladimir, but she didn't want him to kill anybody for her.

"I'm sorry. I really don't know what else it could be, then. Maybe, he was just trying to read your mind." He sighed, coming up short. "Sorry."

Holly blushed profusely upon hearing his guess. "Gods, I hope he wasn't trying to read my mind. He would've seen…" She suddenly went a pale white as she thought about it. "He would've seen my thoughts about you, and what I really think of him. He… he started getting pretty aggressive after I felt that, that… spell."

Brook held her a bit closer. "That would explain it, then." Brook looked off into the distance before he looked back at the still pale looking gnome. "Don't worry. He is currently lying on a floor burned and hurting. He would have to be suicidal to think about coming around or even near us." He gently rubbed her shoulder, trying to get some warmth back into her. "So, relax. Everything will be alright."

She nodded into him, pulling Brook as close as she could. "Can I… Do you think Mom will let me spend the night at your place? I won't sleep if I have to be alone tonight, and, even though I know Vlad is plenty powerful, I'll feel better being closer to you."

Brook gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I don't think she will mind. Mom can be pretty lenient with the rules sometimes. I think she will make an exception for you."

"Gods, she's going to smell that asshole on me, isn't she?" She whimpered before muttering. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Brook asked. It looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Brook, we haven't exactly been covering our scents after our afternoons together. It's safe to say that she already knows that we're together." She tried to explain without sounding embarrassed, but blushing several interesting shades of pink and red.

Brook brought his hand up to the bridge of his nose and pinched it. Then, he brought his head back, and leaned it against the tree they were at. "Sweet mother of Corellon." Brook let out a long exasperated sigh. "Well, at least, it will be easier to explain everything. Kind of."

"When we decide to have sex, we are taking several showers afterwards. I don't want her smelling that." The gnome grumbled.

"Yup." Brook replied, still holding the bridge of his nose.

Holly called an annoyed Vladimir, informing him that she would be staying at Pyria's place for the night, and the two of them started to make their way towards the cottage at a leisurely stroll, simply enjoying the other's company and the crisp night air. When they arrived at Brook's house, he let them in, and Holly walked in first to find a direwolf curled up, napping on the couch. She started to laugh rather hysterically, and Brook looked at her with worry. She'd clearly lost it after all the stress of the day.

"Uh, Holly? Are you okay?" Brook asked worriedly, hoping she wasn't about to pass out, or just begin stabbing him.

Holly was crying as she laughed, watching as one of the direwolf's eyes peeked open at her. "I just realized that elves don't really sleep, but, if your mom wants to take a proper nap, she can turn into an animal. It's hilarious."

The direwolf sat up now; its nose flaring for a moment before it turned back into its true form. Pyria was standing in front of them now. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked at Holly with concern. "Are you okay, dear?" The elf asked, looking at her son, searching his eyes for answers that she wouldn't receive without words.

Holly looked up at the older woman, and, for some reason, even though she'd held it together up until that moment, she started to sob. "I was so scared, mom!" She cried before practically falling into the elf's arms.

Pyria grabbed onto her daughter, and looked to her son. This time, she actually asked. "What exactly happened?"

Brook sighed, and looked his mom in the eyes. "Holly went on a date with James. They had dinner, and, then, he cast some spells on her. One of which made her follow him upstairs to a room." Brook paused, trying to calm himself. "I found him trying to… have sex with her, and I threw him off of her. We had a fight, and I cast a spell at him. He got hurt pretty bad. Then, we made our way back here." Brook rambled at the end, and his eyes were watering over what happened to Holly. "Sorry, mom." He said, wiping away tears.

"No. You protected her. Don't apologize." She looked at Holly, and saw how much of a mess she was. She sighed before asking. "Holly, did he touch you? Do you need healing?"

Holly glanced over at Brook before responding between sobs. "He tried to use his fingers on me. It hurt, so I snapped out of the spell. Brook needs more healing than I do."

Brook looked at his mom, and back to Holly. He was still hurting after the fight. James had done a real number on him. "I could use a bit." He nodded, trying to put on a strong facade for Holly's sake.

Pyria frowned before waving Brook over. She still kept Holly wrapped in her arms before she cast a powerful healing spell on the both of them to make sure they were both feeling better. When the casting was done, she pulled Brook in to hug the two women. "I am glad that you two are alright. Please don't worry. No one is going to hurt you while you are here. Understood?" She spoke to Holly, making sure she knew that she was going to be safe here.

Holly hugged Pyria tighter, and she nodded. "Thanks, mom."

"No problem, dear." She said, rubbing her back. They stayed quiet for a moment, simply being together was enough for them all. Pyria pulled away, and looked the two of them over. "You two must be exhausted. You should probably go get some sleep. We will talk about this tomorrow. Okay?" She said, soothing the kids with her soft voice and actions.

Brook nodded, feeling the exhaustion hit him. "Sleep sounds good."

Holly didn't say a word. She just walked into the bathroom and came out a minute or two later, looking slightly more put together. She knocked on Brook's door, and, when he responded, let herself in. "Hey." She said in a rather lackluster greeting.

"Hey." Brook responded quietly; his eyes drooping slightly.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you? I don't want to sleep on the couch alone." She shuddered at the thought for a moment.

His eyes opened a bit more before he motioned her to the bed. "That's fine. I think I would enjoy the company." He smiled softly before letting out a yawn.

Holly climbed into bed, shamelessly pulling his arms around her and closing her eyes. She thought for a moment that she should be afraid to be so close to a man after the evening's events, but found that she couldn't be afraid of Brook. He was her rock. She listened to his soft breaths for awhile, probably long enough for him to fall asleep. She was exhausted, but her mind just wouldn't shut down. She wished that she could force it to. Eventually, weariness pulled her under into sleep, but not before she could whisper to him, "I love you, Brook."

Brook's arms subconsciously pulled her tighter to him. He was fast asleep, but her words had gotten through to him.


	14. Freedom of Movement

Morning came and went, but Holly, for once, slept through it. She awoke in Brook's dimly lit bedroom, laying alone on his bed. This was the best rest she'd had in a long time. The half-elf was nowhere to be found, so she crawled out of bed, opening the door to the hallway. She could hear voices from the kitchen, and she followed them, wanting to see her Brook.

As Holly rounded the corner into the kitchen, she saw Brook and Pyria sitting across from one another at the table. They were both drinking tea, and were in the middle of a conversation. "Now, I know you two have been friends for years, but I just want to make sure that you two are going to be careful. It can be difficult, going from friends to a couple. Okay?" Pyria spoke slowly and clearly, making sure Brook was aware of what he was doing.

"I know, Mom. We're going to take it slow. Neither of us want to rush into things. This is still all new for us." Brook nooded, taking a sip of his tea.

"Good. I'm glad to hear." Pyria smiled at her son. She took a drink from her cup, and looked over to Holly. "Good morning. It looks like you slept well." She said, giving a playful smile.

Holly nodded, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "What time is it? It feels like I slept the day away."

Pyria glanced at the clock, before looking back at holly. "It's almost noon, but, clearly, you needed the sleep."

"I slept for more than twelve hours!" She shouted, startling herself. "I don't even normally get eight hours rest."

"I know." Brook sighed. "You really do need to sleep more. It's not healthy." Brook muttered, concern ringing in his voice.

Holly stepped over to the table, and climbed into a chair. "There's just not enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do, and, when I do try to sleep, my brain just turns and reels with… everything."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Brook took a sip of his tea before looking Holly in the eyes. "Well, it wouldn't be you if there wasn't something going on in that head of yours." Brook smiled at her.

"I'm not sure if I should feel complimented or insulted." She smiled back at him before reality set in. She laid her head on the kitchen table in defeat. "I don't want to explain to Vlad what happened yesterday."

Pyria reached out, and grabbed Holly's hand. "I will talk to Vlad. He can have a tendency to overreact to things, so I will explain everything to him. Don't worry about him." She rubbed her hand with her thumb, reassuring her with the action.

"Can you please tell him not to kill anybody while he's at it? I don't want to have blood on my hands." She groaned, looking over at Brook for support.

Pyria smiled. "Yes, I will make doubly sure of that." Pyria paused to look at the two children. Her gaze settled on Brook, and continued. "But, if I know what spell you cast on him, which I'm sure I do. James will be hurting still, and left with a permanent reminder of what he did." She nodded glad he would get his just desserts.

"If he even so much as looks at me wrong, I'm using that bloody trebuchet." The gnome grumbled half heartedly as she stared at Brook, silently communicating that she wanted to be alone with him. She needed their comfortable safe place.

Pyria noticed the look between them, and knew they needed some space. "Don't worry about that either. I'm going to go to the school and inform the headmaster of what happened. You won't see him ever again." She stood up and walked over to the door before turning back to them. "I should be back in a few hours. So, do play nice you two." She smiled, and exited the house, leaving Holly and Brook alone.

"Why do I feel like that was a dare to have sex while she was out of the house?" Holly asked, feeling a little overwhelmed by how accommodating Pyria was being to them. Weren't parents supposed to hover around and protect their children's morals for as long as possible, or had she been reading too many romance novels? "Not sure about you, but I don't want to have to figure out how to cover up that scent."

Brook shook his head, not having a clue either. "Me neither, and I'm in no rush to find out as well." He smiled back at her.

"After yesterday, I think that I'd like to wait awhile before we go much further than we already have." She murmured shyly. "I like what we do together, but I think that I need some time."

"I figured as much, and that is fine by me." Brook smiled back sincerely. "Not going to lie though, I have thought about it, but I would much rather wait for you."

Holly looked over at him curiously. "Have you thought about sex or sex with me?" She smirked.

Brook's head fell in defeat. He looked back up at her with an embarrassed face. "Yes." He said, blushing.

She smiled at him, oddly proud that she could cause such a reaction. "Gods, you saw me naked yesterday!" She suddenly realized, turning purple in embarrassment.

He looked at her expression, and figured now would be the right time to tell her. "About that," Brook started not really sure of himself. "It's not the first time. More like the second." Brook said quickly before Holly spoke up.

"What in the nine hells are you talking about?" She growled in an impressively druidic fashion.

Brook retreated. He wasn't expecting her to react so aggressively, but, with the recent events, he probably should have chosen a better choice of words. "Sorry! It was a few months ago. When you just weren't at school, and Vlad dropped you off. When I came home, I walked in to use the bathroom, and you were there in the tub. And," Brook let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It just happened." Brook lowered his head. He really was sorry.

Holly's jaw dropped. She remembered that day. It was a hard day to forget. She looked at him dead in the eyes, and said without blushing, "I had my first period that day. It wasn't just a random day off."

Brook flailed for a moment, trying to grasp the situation he was in. "SORRY!" He said rather loudly, but apologetically. "How could I have known?!" Brook hit his head on the table, and let out a long sigh. "Gods damn it. Why did I have to open my big mouth?"

"Brook, Brook, Brook!" She tried to stop him with each exclamation. "Don't fucking hurt yourself."

She waited for his head to come up off the table before she spoke again. "Don't do that. You couldn't have known, which is why I'm telling you now, and you're already forgiven. So, stop beating yourself up, and be warned that you owe me big time, buster. You got to see me twice, and I haven't even seen you once."

Brook looked up at her. His gaze meeting hers. "I'm going to owe you for a while." He simply answered, but implying more than he let on. He sat up, and rubbed his head. "Again, sorry. Maybe, I can pay you back another way." He smiled at her, and it promised her so many different things without even a word.

"You have my undivided attention." She responded. Her interest was piqued, and she found herself incredibly excited by the prospect of Brook's 'pay back'.

Brook stood up from his place, and walked over to Holly. He leaned down, and placed a hand behind her head before pulling her into a long and passionate kiss. With his other hand, he reached down, and picked Holly up. He walked the two of them over to the couch before sitting down, placing her on top of him. "How is that for a start?" Brook asked, pulling away from her.

"Not bad." She tried to sound unimpressed by his power play, but failed due to her breathlessness.

"Good. I'm glad you like it." He smiled before pulling her in for another long, passionate, and needed kiss.

As their tongues danced, Holly realized that she wasn't scared like she thought she might be. She was comfortable in Brook's arms, and the faint smell of ozone- like that of a storm- that clung to him calmed her. She found herself growing far more excited than she anticipated, and her hips began to grind into him before she could stop herself.

Brook felt Holly begin to move in his lap. The feeling was intense. Brook pulled away, looking her in the eyes, and making sure she was all there. "Careful. You are starting to worry me there." He said seriously.

"Worry you?" She sighed a little frustrated by his rebuffing. "I started it. I like it, and I know that, if I ask you to stop, you will."

Brook gave a nod, and a sweet, feather light kiss. "Okay, I just don't want to rush anything." Brook pulled her in for another kiss, and went slower, this time. More sensual. He let his hands caress her back, feeling the shape of her body and exploring slightly.

Holly felt his hands trace the shape of her, and the firm but pliable feeling of his fingers on her back made her groan. "We're not rushing anything. We're not even going to take our clothes off, but there might be some liberal use of prestidigitation afterwards." She said, wiggling her hips again and feeling his excitement building beneath her. It didn't embarrass her like last time. This time, it brought her pleasure to see what she was doing to him.

Brook smiled, and let out a groan as she wiggled on top of him. "That may be one of the hottest things I have ever heard." He said, pulling her close to him again. He let his hand continue to explore her body, never trying to go beneath her clothes, but still making out her shape in as much detail as possible. He pressed his mouth to hers, and gave an experimental thrust, hoping to see her reaction.

Holly's mouth fell open, and her head dropped back as a moan was pulled from her by his thrust. Whatever he'd done, it hit a spot that she liked. She came to quickly, and whispered, "Do that again, please." Between gasps for air.

Without a word, Brook repeated the motion, causing her to have the same visceral reaction as before. He watched as her eyes rolled back, seeing the emotions he was giving her. He pulled her head close again, but, this time, he gently kissed her neck, smelling the faint smell of peaches from her hair.

Holly opened her eyes, just watching Brook work his magic on her body. His eyes were closed, and she smiled at how focused he was on only her. When his lips and tongue found the nape of her neck, she thought she would come unglued, and, so, she lightly took his pointed ear into her mouth, nibbling on it gently. She would occasionally whisper sweet nothings into it, until she realized that he had stopped moving entirely beneath her. Had she done something wrong? "You okay?"

Brook nodded, needing a second to collect himself. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… wasn't expecting it to feel like that." He explained, blinking a few times, and feeling the mess that Holly had caused in his pants.

"It?" Holly asked, confused. She hadn't noticed his predicament yet, since she had been so wrapped up in giving and receiving this pleasure.

Brook blushed slightly. "I came." He replied simply, if not a little embarrassed.

"Oh." Holly answered dumbly. She didn't know what to say. She was partially proud that she had made him feel good, and, also, disappointed that she, well, didn't.

Brook looked Holly over before he pulled her in for a long kiss. He lingered inches from her lips as he pulled away slightly. "Thank you. That was amazing, but, now, I need to return the favor."

Holly blushed prettily. "Uh, you don't have to, if you don't want. It's not, like, an obligation."

He kissed her again, and moved her sideways on his lap. "You think too much. Please, just relax." Brook carefully moved one of his hands down between the two of them. He ran his hand on the inside of Holly's thigh, making sure it was alright with her before continuing.

She nodded at him, telling herself to relax as she responded. "Trust me, if I could turn off my brain, I would."

He moved his hand carefully over her nether region, being sure not to go below her underwear. He kissed her gently, wanting her to feel the same pleasure he had experienced. "You might not be able to turn it off, but, maybe, we can slow it down, at least, for a bit."

"I- it's fucking working." She groaned, feeling his hand on her and wanting more. She moaned. "Fuck."

Book gave a smile, seeing her like this made him happy. He pressed on her nethers firmly as he began to message her, and he could now feel the wetness coming from her. He continued to make the motions as he leaned over her, and kissed her on the nape of the neck again. He wanted to make this experience last for her.

"Brook." She cried, feeling overwhelmed by the sensations and feelings she'd never felt before. Her hands searched for purchase, and she found herself pulling his body over her. She wanted him closer; she wanted to feel his body pressed against hers, and she realized that she wanted all of him, not just his hands. The idea of that scared her. She tensed up for a moment before reminding herself to relax and letting the sensation happen. This was Brook. She was safe, and, when she relaxed, her body found its very first release. Her eyes closed, and she saw stars as she clung to Brook for dear life.

Brook felt her body tense up around him, and, as she clung to him for dear life, he held her firmly, enjoying the sensations that he had caused in her, making sure not to let her fall. He watched her breathing for a moment, and leaned down to give her a kiss. "I love you, Holly." He whispered just for her and no one else.

"I love you, too, Brook." She responded with a small chaste kiss.

Brook smiled back at her. "Feel better?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"I think that I stopped thinking for a minute." She panted.

"Good." Proud of his work, Brook pulled her in for a quick kiss. "I'm glad that you liked it."

Holly pulled his forehead down to rest on hers. Their eyes met, and she mumbled. "If that's what it feels like with our clothes on, I can't even imagine the main event."

Brook looked at her, and paused for a moment. He admired her blue eyes and blonde hair. He looked back at her, and smiled. "Me neither." Before giving her yet another quick kiss.

"Should I do the honors with prestidigitation or do you want to?" She laughed.

Brook laughed at her. "I'll let you have the honors. I'm still not even sure that I can cast it yet." He smiled.

Holly started by casting the spell on Brook's trousers several times, mostly because his reaction to her attention was funny. Then, she did her own clothes, and, finally, the couch. "Did I miss anything?"

Brook looked over the area, checking and double checking for any possible mess. "I don't think so, but you might want to do it one more time to be safe." He answered.

"Fuck it. Open the windows. I can make a breeze with-. What am I saying? You can make a breeze. Storm Sorcerer, duh." She deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah. Right." Brook stood up, and closed his eyes for a moment. He focused on the air around him. The air picked up quickly, but never got to the torrent that Holly had seen the night before. A moment later, the wind was pushed out of the windows as a lovely breeze rolled into the house. Brook sat back down on the couch, and smiled. "Done! Now, what?" He asked sincerely not really sure what to do next.

"Just because we do sexual things together doesn't mean that there's nothing else to do when we aren't." She lightly elbowed him. "How much work do you think it would take to buy a ship?"

He looked at her, and, then, thought to himself for a minute. His expression changed to a frown when he came up with an answer. "Do you want the good news or the bad news?" He whispered semi-sorrowfully.

"Bad news first." She sighed.

"Well, it depends on the size of the ship, but at least 7,000 gold pieces." He deadpanned.

Holly's eyes practically bugged out of her head. "Holy shit. That's more than two people can earn in a lifetime!"

"Yeah, it is." Brook replied. "The good news, though, is that ships are always looking for help, and, not going to lie, a guy who can change the wind sounds like a pretty good thing to have on a ship."

"I can always start building cannons and ballista instead of trebuchet." She commented, mind starting to think of new ideas.

"That is always an option. You can take the weapons and gadgets. I'll take the navigator's tools and whatnot." Brook smiled.

"You know how to use navigator's tools?" She asked incredulously.

"Nope, but I can learn. We still have a ways to go before we will be ready to leave here." Brook said, stretching on the couch. He was feeling a little tired.

Holly laid on top of his prone form. "Three more years of school." She muttered darkly. "That feels like a lifetime away."

Brook put an arm around her, and stroked her hair. "Don't worry. It will be fine. We will have each other." He smiled, looking at her before another yawn overtook him.

Holly laughed at Brook's sudden exhaustion. "You take a nap. I'm going to have some… breakfast? Or would this be lunch?"

"Lunch, I think, would be the word you are looking for." Brook smiled without looking at her; his eyes enjoying the darkness for the time being.

"Sweet dreams." She mumbled as she shuffled over to the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat.


	15. Back to Reality

The events with James had happened on the evening of eighth day, so they'd had the weekend to relax and recover, but, when the morning of first day came the following week, Holly was having a rough time. Everything would be different when she returned to school today. James would be gone, and her friends would want to know why. She didn't want to have to relive that experience over and over by retelling it. If she had to, she'd have a breakdown for sure, and, then, there was the change between her and Brook. She knew that they'd be coming out as a couple soon, but they hadn't actually discussed the 'when' of that. For all she knew, Brook wanted to do it today, which wouldn't be so bad she guessed. They could always say that they got together because Brook had rescued her from James. To those who didn't know better, that was the truth, but they would know better. That's all that mattered.

Holly made her way to the kitchen and picked through her food. Vlad didn't look all too happy about it, but he remained silent. He hadn't brought up the subject of her assault, and she was silently thanking Pyria for whatever she'd said to get him to, well, not freak out. Eventually, a knock sounded on the door, and Vlad opened it, letting Brook inside. The brothers shared a brief greeting and some conversation while Holly grabbed her things. She was grateful that she didn't have to meet at their usual meeting point today; they'd realized only yesterday that, if James wanted some sort of payback, their predictable morning routine would be quite the target. So, they'd both agreed to change things a bit to minimize Holly's time alone to, well, none.

Before they left, Vladimir handed Holly a ring, and said bluntly, "For use if someone tries to cast spell on you. Will only work once, so don't waste on something silly."

Holly looked at the ornate golden ring with runes carved into it, and she smiled up at the elf, "This is a ring of spell storing, isn't it? I've only ever heard of them."

"Go to school before I change mind and take it back." Vlad threatened halfheartedly.

"Thank you, uncle Vlad!" She called, running out the door behind Brook. She placed the ring on and began to attune to it. It would take some time, but, when she was done, she would find that counterspell was stored within the object. She tried not to cry when she realized exactly how much Vlad cared about her. She loved her 'uncle', and things like this only cemented their bond.

Brook held Holly's hand the whole way to school only letting go when they'd actually gotten to Holly's first class. There were people staring at them, and Holly blushed up at Brook. "People are watching us." She commented shyly, not used to the attention.

"Let them." Brook responded, not looking the least bit embarrassed as he leaned down to steal her lips for a kiss. Holly's body reacted automatically, and she kissed him back deeply, not wanting his lips to leave hers.

Time stood still for a moment until Holly's first period teacher coughed from beside them. "Ahem. Miss Goblinsfoe, Mr. Evenwood, I believe that you have places to be at the moment."

A few students inside the classroom laughed, and Holly realized that the bell had rung, and she hadn't heard anything. "Uh, sorry, Mrs. Silverstar." Holly blushed, waving Brook off to his class, which he was late for.

During class, Holly received several notes from her friends, asking her what was going on. On eighth day, she'd gone on a date with James, and, on first day, she was making out with Brook before first period. And, as rumor would have it, that James had been expelled. There was a story there if they'd ever heard one. Holly wrote a note back telling them that it was complicated, and she'd explain over lunch. After that, she was able to pay attention to their history lesson without interruption.

Lunch came all too soon, and all of Holly's girlfriends were gathered at the table with her. She looked around at them all, and felt nervous. How was she supposed to explain that one of the cutest guys in school, and a caster like them, was using his powers for such deplorable means. She ran her hands through her hair before beginning. "This weekend was complicated, and I'm only saying this once. So, listen well because I'm not going to repeat myself."

She looked around at her friends, and, with a sigh, she started her story. "A few weeks ago, Brook told me that James had threatened him as he was leaving school. Apparently, James had been antagonizing him for awhile, but Brook didn't tell me until he was threatened." This was the only lie that Holly would tell today, and it was only a half truth. The rest of the story would be the truth, and she looked up at her friends to see Brook walking up to join them.

She scooted over for him to join them, and he kissed her on the cheek, saying, "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

She smiled, "Not much. Don't worry about it."

"So, after I found out about James, I planned to break up with him after a while to make it seem like it was on my own rather than because Brook had told me about the threat. I would have broken up with him today, except things that happened on eighth day changed that." Holly explained, looking to Brook to see if he had anything to add. He simply grabbed her hand and nodded, reassuring her. "James had asked me to go on a date with him that day, so I asked Brook to stay close. The threat against Brook made me afraid to be alone with James. At dinner, I felt a spell get cast on me that uncle Vlad says was detect thoughts. He got more aggressive towards me after that, and, then, James cast… suggestion on me. I was told to act normal and then go upstairs with him to…"

Holly paused for such a long moment that Brook stepped in, wrapping his arm around Holly to comfort her. "James told Holly to let him have sex with her. There was a confrontation once I found them, and, needless to say, they are not a couple anymore."

Holly looked up at Brook, eyes glistening, "Thank you." She whispered to him before turning back to her friends. "I suppose that you can guess the rest from there. So, there you have it… that's why everything is different today."

The girls were quiet for a long moment before Keilenn spoke up. She seemed… skeptical. "Why wouldn't you just dump him right away? Tell a fucking adult what happened so that he couldn't retaliate against Brook?"

"Because I was scared. A lot of my decisions were emotional, and I wanted to protect Brook." Holly explained, a little frustrated that she was being questioned about this. Wasn't her experience hard enough without making her relive it by explaining?

Another girl named Brianne, a human who would probably go on to be an Eldritch Knight like others in her family spoke up, "Brook, why didn't you tell her sooner? She could've broken up with him before this whole mess really got started."

Brook kissed Holly on the temple before replying, "She was happy. It's that simple. He made her happy, so I stepped aside." He was annoyed that he hadn't acted sooner, but, even then, the act had already happened. "Besides, Holly is a fighter. She would have kicked his ass had he attempted it sooner. I was more worried for James."

Several of the girls rolled their eyes at that, like they didn't really believe him, and, finally, Eden, a half-elven girl with druid abilities spoke up. "If you were really more worried about James, then you wouldn't have been there to rescue Holly on eighth day, and, clearly, she can't kick his ass on her own because she got into that predicament in the first place."

Holly turned red in anger, shaking in Brook's arms as she raged at her 'friends'. Before he could react, she ripped herself out of Brook's arms, jumping across the table and slapping Eden with a resounding smack that made the entire cafeteria go quiet. "You don't get to say that, you bitch!" Holly screamed at the girl. "I did the best that I could given the circumstances, and, if you can't be supportive right now, then, I guess, this friendship is at its end."

"You got the hottest guy in school expelled because you weren't willing to give him any action. I have good reason to be angry! I liked him before you liked him, Holly." The girl screamed back as several teachers began to circle around the confrontation.

"Then, it would have been you on eighth day instead of me, Eden. How would you feel if it were you?" Holly cried openly. "I was helpless, terrified, and I couldn't do anything about it.

"This is done." Holly said to the teachers, getting off of the table and waiting to be lead to the headmaster's office for punishment. She looked at Brook, eyes still tearful. She couldn't believe that they were questioning her. She'd known some of these girls since she was little, and they knew she didn't lie. She knew her rationale wasn't perfect, but she didn't expect any of this.

Holly received a relatively mild sentence of a single detention for the slap heard around the campus, but there was one good thing that came about from the confrontation. When she was leaving school that day, Holly and Brook were stopped by two girls who she recognized as Lisette and Ester. She shared some classes with them, and both had dated James. They both explained to her that James had pulled the same terrible trick on them, except they weren't lucky enough to get away. They'd been afraid to come forward with the information because of the magic involved. They weren't sure that it could be proved even though they'd spoken with at least one other girl who'd had the same experience. It felt good to not be alone in this, and Holly vowed to get to know these girls better. They could be real friends to her.

Brook walked her home after that. They talked little, just enjoying the comfort of the other's company for the time being. When they made it to Holly's house, Brook pulled her in for a tight embrace before pulling away just long enough to gently brush his lips against hers. He reluctantly pulled away, watching Holly walk inside before he turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin. "How the fuck do you do that, Vlad?"

"Trade secret." Vlad simply retorted, staring down at his younger brother.

Brook sighed. "Well, please warn me next time? I don't want a heart attack before I'm 30." Brook tried to walk past him, but was stopped by an outstretched arm. Brook looked up at his brother curiously.

Vlad looked at Brook, and stood in front of him. "You are my brother." He started before Brook cut him off.

"Well, duh." He said dumbfounded by why his brother had stopped him.

Vlad sighed, annoyed at his attitude. "You are my brother, and you are dating Holly." He stated, making Brook both nervous and curious.

"Uh, yeah. And?" Brook asked, wanting this to be over with sooner rather than later.

"Brook, I know this is a stupid thing to ask because I already know the answer, but I feel like Holly is my daughter." Vlad paused, letting Brook understand his reasoning behind all of this.

Brook looked at Vlad, and knew what he was doing now. It was 'the talk', but it felt wrong. What did he mean he already knew the answer?

Vlad breathed in, and continued. "Thank you for protecting her from that prick. He should have been stopped sooner, but I digress. I just wanted to tell you to take care of her, but I know you will. I may not be the most talkative person, but, even I know, that you love her." He said, leaning down to hug him tightly.

Brook smiled and hugged his brother back. "Thanks, Vlad, that means a lot."

"No problem." Vlad said standing up and walking to the door. "And, Brook." He said, turning around to look him in the eyes.

"Yes?"

"No having sex in my house!" Vlad said loudly before shutting the door behind him.

Brook turned red, not expecting that comment from his brother. He looked around awkwardly before sighing and making his way back home.

Holly looked up from the stove where she was getting dinner started to find Vladimir with a rather impish grin on his face. "What's made you look like the Roc that got the cattle?" She inquired, continuing to work with the food.

"Is nothing important." He said, gently picking her up off of the step stool she was using and pulling her into a tight hug. "I do not say it often, but I love you, Holly."

"I love you, too." She replied easily, hugging him back.

Vlad stroked the back of her head like he was cradling a small child. "Glad you are okay."

"Me too." She mumbled. "Hey, Vlad?"

"Yes?" He asked.

"Can…" She paused. "I feel like it would be better if I call you Dad."

Vlad looked down at the girl first with a soft expression and, then, it hardened. "Is rude to eavesdrop, Holly."

"Yeah, I know." She smirked. "That wasn't a 'no'."

"Is fine." He said softly. "No more spying."

"Sure thing, dad." She laughed, going back to working in the kitchen with a smile on her face.


	16. Adjusting

A few weeks had passed since Brook and Holly officially became a couple, and, although they had no qualms with their relationship thus far, there were still things that they were getting used to. Shockingly enough, kissing was one of them.

There was more than one occasion where they would be kissing one another in either Brook's or Holly's house,and, if either Vlad or Pyria arrived home, they would jump apart and attempt to hide the fact. Pyria always knew right away; Vlad, thankfully, was easier to fool.

Their next hurdle was more subconscious than anything else. Sleeping together was still hard to get used to. Their first night was simple enough. All the adrenaline made them not care at the time, but, when Holly decided to stay the night after that, things were odd. Holly had gotten ready for bed first, and, when Brook walked into his room, he had turned beet red at seeing her in her pajamas.

Holly smiled, seeing Brook look so silly. "Brook, why are you so uncomfortable around me tonight?" She asked, not seeing any issue.

Brook walked over, slowly regaining his confidence, before he sat down on his bed next to her. "Because, this is the first time I have ever seen you in your pj's, and I really wasn't expecting you to look as good as you do." He explained, looking over her body.

Holly thought it over for a moment, and, sure enough, Brook was right. She felt herself turn red, and hide her head in one of Brook's pillows. "You ass." She muttered, playfully hitting him.

"Why am I an ass? You would be nervous too if you had a hot guy in your bed. Right?" He retorted quickly.

Holly looked up at Brook mischievously before pulling Brook back onto the bed. She quickly hovered her head above his before stealing a long and passionate kiss. "I do have a hot guy in my bed right now." She grinned. "Do I look nervous?"

Brook smiled before kissing her and flipping her over so that he was on top. "First of all, this is my bed." He grinned. "Secondly, now you do." He smiled, looking down at her. She was blushing; her ears more pink than they normally were.

She covered her face, trying to hide a goofy smile. "Fine. You win." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

He leaned down, and gave her a quick kiss. Then, he laid down next to her, and pulled the covers over the two of them. "I love you, too." Brook said, pulling her tightly against his body.

Holly nuzzled into the crook of Brook's arms. She turned to him, and kissed him back. "I love you." She smiled, closing her eyes the two of them falling asleep together. After that, they didn't worry too much.

What had the two of them really nervous was their first official date. Brook had asked Holly out to go have dinner. Holly happily accepted it, but, when the day came, she found herself freaking out. She spent well over an hour prettying herself up; she'd gone out and bought makeup to try to impress Brook. She even wore her one and only dress for the occasion. Brook was just as nervous. He wore a nice dress shirt, pants, and shoes, even using some cologne to try to seem more impressive.

When Brook arrived to pick up Holly, Vlad looked his brother over curiously, he looked wrong. His clothes didn't suit him, and, when he looked at Holly, it was just as bad. Makeup did not suit her at all. He would have said something if not for them smiling at one another. Their smiles were good enough for him, and he let them go have their fun. Their walk to the diner was eerily quiet. The two hadn't said a word to one another the whole walk there. They held each other's hands, but no actual words were said. When they arrived, they each quietly ordered their food, and ate it in companionable silence. Brook had ordered a sandwich while Holly ordered a chef salad. The whole time, they were drawing the attention of the other customers in their awkwardness. When they were finished, they paid for their meals separately. This they had agreed upon when Brook asked her out. They both left the diner, walking a few feet apart from one another, and feeling embarrassed but not knowing why. Did they do something wrong?

When they left, they had made it to the forest nearing their houses before Holly stopped dead in her tracks, being the first to speak up since they started their night out. "Did… did we make a mistake?" Holly asked, looking at the ground. "Us being together, that is?" She sniffed, fighting back tears.

Brook looked at her unsure of himself. "I… I don't think so." He replied dejectedly.

"Then, what happened tonight? Why is it that you never… We didn't even speak to one another." She sniffled worried that this had all been for naught.

Brook held the back of his head nervously. "I don't know. I was worried that I would mess something up. That's why I didn't say anything." He answered, ashamed of himself.

"Can we… start tonight over? Without all the bullshit?" She asked, turning around and casting prestidigitation on her face to wash away all the makeup, and pulling her hair out of the complicated updo she'd picked.

When she turned around, Brook looked dumbfounded, but he quickly stripped himself of his dress shirt, leaving just the undershirt on his frame. "Better?" He laughed.

"Much." She responded with a giggle before pulling him down to her for a kiss and dragging him off to their special place to be together for the rest of the evening.

When they arrived, they both let out a sigh of relief. This was their spot. Here, they had spent years of their lives, playing, laughing, learning, even experiencing their first kiss. Brook sat down in his usual spot; his head relaxing against the tree. Holly sat down in his lap simply wanting to be close to him. Brook put his arms around her, pulling her close. "Sorry about tonight. I wasn't expecting our first date to turn out to be such a shit show." He grumbled.

"We should've realized that we were forcing it." She laughed. "Tonight wasn't us at all. Promise me that we won't do anything quite so over the top again?"

Brook leaned back, closing his eyes and just took in a deep breath. "You're right. We were being stupid. No wonder Vlad was giving us funny looks. We must've been pretty hilarious to him."

"I'm not so sure that he would call what I did hilarious." She nearly cried. "I kicked him out of the bathroom for at least an hour doing that makeup."

"You look better without it." Brook answered instantly without a thought.

Holly blushed, pushing herself up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks."

"Hey, what time is it, anyway?" She asked, looking up to the sky to see if she could make anything out about it, but not knowing enough to discern the time.

Then, suddenly, both kids jumped when they heard a new voice join them in the clearing. "Is past curfew." Vladimir responded lowly, seeing the position the two were in and looking torn between his options. On one hand, they hadn't been doing anything, and they looked much more normal than they had when they'd left his house earlier. On the other hand, that boy, even if it was his brother, was a little too close to his daughter.

Holly jumped out of Brook's lap, standing up rigidly with her hands at her side, but not able to make eye contact. "Uh, sorry, dad." She frowned, looking terribly embarrassed.

Brook stood up now, too. "Yeah, sorry. We lost track of time. It's my fault."

"No, it's not. I forgot too." Holly jumped in, looking at Brook in a way that communicated 'don't get in trouble for me'.

Brook took a step forward, looking at Holly as he did so. "Sorry, Vlad, we both kinda had a rough night. It didn't quite go as planned… So, we were just relaxing, trying to make the best of what we got. Okay? Sorry."

Vlad looked at the two of them; his eyes darting back and forth. He wanted to be mad at them. He really did, but he was still trying to get used to all of this as well. He looked up at the sky. Then, he looked back down to them. "You get one more hour. If you are not back by then, I will turn this place into a crater." He said sternly before turning and disappearing into the the night.

Holly and Brook looked at one another dumbfounded. "What just happened?" Brook asked not knowing if he was sleeping or dreaming.

"I think… I think that he just extended my curfew," Holly mumbled to herself. "for me to be with you."

"I don't know whether to be impressed, or concerned." He blinked several times, before actually looking at Holly. "Either way, I am not complaining." He grinned.

Holly nudged Brook playfully, "He approves of you. He's your brother, which helps, but… he wouldn't just do that for anybody."

Brook nodded his head in agreement. "True… but I think he might also be doing it more for himself." He thought out loud. "He has been trying to be a better person. He used to be just angry."

"I remember." She reminisced. "It was kind of magical the first time I got him to smile."

"You've seen him smile!" He joked at her. "I'm jealous."

"I'll have you know that I have made him giggle snort so hard that rice came out his nose." She replied proudly at the disgusting memory.

"Eww." Brook laughed, shaking his hands at the thought. "That is the grossest and funniest thing that you have ever said."

Holly blushed, scratching the back of her head. "Too much information?"

"Yeah." He said nodding. "It is still funny."

"We're gonna be okay, now. Yeah?" She asked hesitantly. "No more weirdness?"

Brook nodded. "Yeah, we're cool." He leaned down, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He thought the act over in his head. "I don't feel any weirdness there." He laughed.

Holly kissed him on the bottom of the chin softly. "I have a terrible confession to make." She announced in a sultry voice that promised many things.

Brook looked at her with an excited and eager look before he narrowed his eyes. "And, what is that?"

"I've fallen madly in love with my best friend." She whispered, jumping into his arms and kissing him until both of their heads spun.

He felt Holly suddenly jump onto him and kiss him. He fell back onto the ground. He wasn't expecting the act. "Well, then, Holly… that makes two of us." He said, pulling her head to his and kissing her for all that he was worth.

Eventually, Holly pulled away, and she cupped the half-elf's cheek in her hand. "As wonderful as this is, let's not push our luck with dad on our first night out." She stood up, and offered him her hand to help him up. "Shall we?"

Brook grabbed her hand, and got up. "We shall."

"So, what's our second date going to be like?" She asked with mirth dancing in her eyes. "Because, I think that I'd like to wear pants next time."

Brook looked at her and gave a playful smile. "Well, I like the dress. Honestly, it does give me a few ideas." As he said that, Holly felt a sudden gust of wind come by and blow underneath her dress. Not enough to blow it all the way up, but enough to elicit a reaction. He looked at her with a smile. "See?"

"I kind of like the idea of you being able to do that any time while I'm wearing it. It feels kind of dangerous." She admitted, feeling a little dirty.

"Well, then. I guess we will need to see what else you like then, huh?" He grinned leaning down to give her a playful kiss.

"Y-yeah…" She felt mortified. Did she just say something so private out loud? What was wrong with her?

Brook saw her expression change suddenly and he stopped. "Is everything okay? If something is wrong, you can tell me." He said honestly.

Holly nodded slowly. "I'm not gonna say this right, but… I didn't realize how lewd what I just said was, and it's really embarrassing."

He looked at her with comforting eyes. "Hey, we are dating, now. You can tell me these things. I want to make sure that you are happy, Holly. I don't think you could scare me away." He rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"I think that I can scare you still." She admitted, remembering something she'd liked at a very strange time.

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Holly sighed, gripping his hand tightly. "Uh, when… when James was… anyway… He bit one of my nipples, and I kind of liked it." She didn't like the memory, but she remembered the feeling had actually made her react kind of positively.

Brook felt her grip tighten, and he was shocked. He didn't think that she would have liked anything that ass had done to her, especially on that night. He pulled up her hand, and kissed the back of it. "Well, if and when we get to that point, I hope that I can make you like it a lot more than he ever could." He nudged her slightly.

"That doesn't scare you? Because it scares me every day to think that I liked it at all. Even a little bit." She frowned.

"Honestly, no. Yeah, it sucks all nine levels of hell the way you found out, but you found out something you like." Brook knelt down, and looked her in the eyes. "Look on the bright side, you learned something good from it, and, at the end of the day, that's what matters right?"

Holly saw her house coming into view in the distance. She definitely didn't want to finish this conversation too close to home, so she stopped walking. "I want to learn what you like, too, you know." She grumbled, feeling like he'd gotten way more out of her than she him. "Tell me something you like, and I'll agree."

Brook blushed when she asked that. "Remember when mom left, and we kinda had fun?" He said shyly, remembering something that he really liked her doing to him.

"Well, yeah. It's hard to forget one's first-" Holly paused. "Gods dammit. There I go saying too much again. Uh, you gave me my first… orgasm. There, I've said it."

Brook felt proud. He was glad that he could give that to her. "Good to know." He smiled. He leaned in close, and whispered into her ear. "I liked it when you nibbled on my ear." He pulled back looking slightly red. "That's kinda why I stopped so soon."

"Oh." Was all she could say, blushing deeply. Then, she finally said, "My ears are sensitive, so I kinda guessed…"

"Well, good call. Even I wasn't expecting to like it." Brook smiled, and, then, blushed again. Although, this time, it wasn't as bad. "There is one other thing that I like."

Holly nodded, "Go on."

"When someone runs their hands down my back. I don't know why, but I like it. It just feels nice." He said honestly.

"Thank you, Brook." She whispered. "I like that you feel comfortable enough to share with me. Maybe, we'll find out more things we like together soon."

Brook smiled. "I look forward to it."

Holly kissed him until she couldn't breathe any longer before she pulled away. "Goodnight, Brook. I love you."

"I love you too. Sleep well." He kissed her gently on the lips before he turned to leave for the night, not wanting to incur the wrath of his brother. However, he did turn and wave goodbye to Holly before he disappeared.

Holly waved before walking the rest of the way to the door. She said the new password, which Vlad had assured her was in a language he was certain nobody in town understood. Not that she understood it either. Once inside, she hugged Vlad fiercely, thanking him for letting her stay out, and going to her room. She wouldn't be able to sleep this night... again. All the conversation with Brook had her thinking about sex. She laughed at the idea of a sex robot because she thought Brook would get a kick out of it before she finally decided to keep working on a wand she'd started two days before. This could keep her entertained for the night while her mind raced with thoughts of her boyfriend.

When Brook got home, he was thankful that his mother was in her trance. He loved her, but he really wanted to just go straight to his room for the night. He tried to fall asleep, but the conversation he had with Holly left his mind with vivid images. He tried not to dwell on it too much, but the thought of Holly in that dress of hers and what she had told him she liked… It had him distracted. He was excited and needed to release, as it were. His only complaint with it was that he wished that they could be doing that for real and not just fantasizing. Soon enough, though, he found sleep and Holly was there to keep him company in his dreams.


	17. Adventuring

AN:

Hello everybody,

There is a detailed sex scene in this chapter. No dub con or anything else to worry about.

Enjoy!

~MA

* * *

The school year was out, and the Evenwoods celebrated with a big dinner at Pyria's house. Brook and Holly were excited to finally be free, and had planned on doing some odd jobs around town in order to earn some coin for the future ship that they dreamed of. The heat of the summer had set in weeks ago, and the heat clung to everything except for one very lucky half-elf who could sculpt breezes to his will. Holly was incredibly jealous of this, and found herself sitting close to him to stay cool more often than not. Her tinkering was on indefinite hold while she researched ballista and cannoneering, and she'd started to study a thick tome on ship sailing recently that she was dedicating most of her attention to. Brook had begun to become more comfortable with his casting, and could even be found casually using spells around the house when necessary. Overall, things had settled down.

The pair had shared intimate moments for several months, but both decided that they would know when the moment was right to go further. So far, neither of them had felt that urge beyond occasional stripping during an intense makeout session. They were learning more about each other's bodies each time they explored, and both were excited by the promise of what the future held.

They had both of their minds set on the seas, and Brook had been tirelessly trying to make sure that he knew what was needed to be a navigator. Holly had found him on several occasions outside at night, checking the stars and tracking their movements. Holly's work on ballistas had been just as trying. She originally thought it would be as simple as taking a crossbow and scaling it up, but actually doing that had proven difficult. She had almost scrapped an entire project if not for Brook calming her down. They had been working hard together as a team. Making the beginnings of their once crazy dream a reality.

Holly had, in more recent days, began taking work in the local blacksmith's shop. There, she was being greeted by a wealth of knowledge on how to construct and assemble weapons. There wasn't much in the way of ballistas, but she knew that this was the best place to start given where they were.

One day, a frustrated Holly had, had enough and she sat across from Vladimir at the kitchen table, looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Can you take me to see your friend Howl? I'm sure he has ballista that I can deconstruct, and you told me that he had ammo that could expand in size. I need to see it for myself."

Vlad looked Holly dead in the eyes, and without blinking replied, "No, you must figure it out on your own. It will make you feel better when you finally accomplish your goal." He leaned back in his chair with the slightest of grins on his face.

This response, of course, caused an impressive and unexpected tantrum from Holly that Vladimir hadn't experienced since she was much younger. The two didn't talk to each other for a solid week following that, but, when they did, Holly thanked him for encouraging her to figure it out on her own, even if it did make her mad that he wouldn't help. Weeks passed, and Holly began to hear rumors around town of an abandoned house outside of the city limits in the wilderness that needed clearing out by adventurers. The town was a small one, and most of the adventurers that lived there were retired. Although a few of them could probably take care of it alone, most thought that such a job was beneath them.

After work that day, Holly made her way to find Brook at the library where he'd been working for the summer. She explained with excitement in her eyes about the building that needed clearing out and how the owner was willing to pay top dollar to have whatever was inside exterminated. They made plans to take a couple of days off in order to clear it out. The lost wages would be well worth the reward from the owner when everything panned out; then, they'd be fifty gold pieces closer to their goal.

They left on first day after a nice breakfast with Vlad and Pyria who were enthused that the pair wanted to try their hand at adventuring. They walked through the roads of town before finding the old beaten path towards the building that needed clearing, and both of them quickly realized that the rough terrain would be a serious detriment to their speed. Holly was already slow enough as it was with her small gnomish legs. Both of them sighed, pressing forward into the undergrowth. By lunch time, they were relatively happy with their progress, and they figured that they would make it to the building by nightfall given the terrain growing more inhospitable by the mile. Neither of them were in much of a hurry. They had taken five days off from work just to be sure that they had enough time, and both were enjoying their alone time together. This was the farthest either had been out of town without Pyria or Vlad, and they found the air charged with tension on more than one occasion during their walk. Holly silently wondered where this might be leading, but she trusted Brook with her life, so she did not overly care.

They arrived at the old abandoned house as the sun set, and, after inspecting the outside of the house, they made their way inside to get a brief idea of what they were working with before they would go find a place to sleep for the night. When the door opened, they were greeted by a layer of web so thick that it stopped the door short. Neither of them would be able to squeeze through like that. They shut the door quickly, making sure that no spiders could get out to surprise them, and decided reluctantly that the best course of action between the two of their abilities and weapons was for Holly to use her fire starter to set the web alight. Brook would then use the winds at his control to snuff out the flames before it could do any damage to the structure.

This plan would have worked flawlessly, of course, had it been that simple, but, when they set the web aflame, they were attacked by a swarm of spiders and one very pissed off giant spider. With their attention divided between the two enemies, Holly and Brook had their work cut out for them. Holly quickly cast Arcane Weapon on her heavy crossbow, and shot the giant spider in the eyes. She laughed since it was already bleeding, but screamed when it lunged at her only for it to meet Brook's wrath as he cast the lighting spell that he'd used on James at it, which they'd only recently learned was called Witch Bolt. The giant spider lay twitching on the ground as the swarm of spiders engulfed Holly who hadn't had a fear of arachnids until this very moment. She was frozen in fear for a moment until instinct kicked in and she started swatting at the spiders that were crawling and biting at her. She seemed to be doing an okay job at that, so Brook glanced around the room, checking to see if there were any other enemies before he checked to see if he could do anything about the raging web fire.

Brook didn't see anything in the way of enemies. It was nothing that Holly couldn't handle. The fire, that, Brook could fix. Brook looked at the slowly growing inferno, and began to sculpt the air to snuff out the flames. He was making good progress on the flames when both Holly and Brook heard a horrendous sound come from around them. Holly finished off the few spiders before she walked up next to Brook and readied herself for what was to two stood back to back, waiting for whatever creature made that unearthly sound.

What they heard next was another vile sound just like before, only this time, it was closer. They could now make out the direction it was coming from. They heard it coming from behind a door, roaring and scratching. A second later, the door burst open; charging forward was a gaunt figure, its skin tight and decomposing. It ran at the couple, and slashed at Brook with long dagger like claws. The hit felt insignificant, but Brook felt his body seize. He was unable to move.

Holly saw Brook freeze in place, and took aim at the ghoul. She released a bolt into the back of the creature, causing it to lash out in pain. It turned to the gnome and bolted, rending another claw at her. Holly dodged out of the way just in time before raising her crossbow again and firing. She hit a second time, and a smile curled at her lips until she looked over at Brook who was still not moving. Holly was about to cast a healing spell on the half-elf when she felt pain in her side. She looked down to see the undead creature biting into her. She let out a yell of pain before finishing the cast to heal herself instead.

Brook looked on helplessly as he was paralysed in place, unable to move. He was fighting whatever toxin was affecting him, but losing. Holly got away from the ghoul as it slashed at her with the same claws that hit Brook. She felt the same toxin take over her and her body seize up. She watched as the ghoul was about to bite into her again when a crackling of energy launched the ghoul back away from her. Brook was moving again! The ghoul got up; it was looking rough, and turned to its new foe before dashing forward again. Brook dodged its attack, and was glad that he did. He wasn't feeling too hot.

Holly focused, and fought off the paralysis. She shook herself back into focus before casting fire bolt at the undead creature. The ghoul tried to bite Holly for a second time, but she saw the attack coming and rolled to the side. Brook flanked the ghoul, drawing it's attention by casting shocking grasp on it.

Holly saw Brook cast the cantrip and an idea popped into her head. "Brook! Do that again!" She yelled, pulling out a dagger and jumping into the air. As she came down, she planted the weapon deep into it's back.

The ghoul let out a shriek of pain, and turned to try and attack the offending gnome. Holly jumped off, missing it's claws as Brook grabbed the dagger. He cast shocking grasp again. This time, causing electricity to surge throughout the creature, killing it where it stood.

Holly and Brook took a few deep breaths before high fiving one another and collapsing on the ground to catch their breath properly. Brook looked at Holly and then to the ghoul. He started chuckling to himself. "Hey, Holly…" He giggled.

She looked at him oddly, thinking that the ghoul had done more than just paralyze him. "Yes, Brook?" She asked hesitantly.

"We're adventurers!" He laughed, looking at her while wiping away a few errant tears.

Holly smiled, and, then, began to laugh as well. They were adventurers now. This was the first stepping stone to the dream that they shared. She wiped away some tears before sitting upright. "You ass." She laughed at the half-elf. She stood up, and grabbed Brooks hand. "Come on. Let's get out of here, and go collect our gold."

Brook smiled, pulled himself up, and dusted himself off. "I agree. This place is a shit show." Brook took two steps before he looked out the window. It was night outside, and it would take at least a few hours to get back to town let alone home. Brook sighed before looking at his companion. "Nevermind. It would honestly be better to stay here for the night, and make our way back in the morning."

Holly looked at Brook then to the window. She sighed as well; she didn't want to be here any longer than necessary. "Fine." She said, looking over Brook who was much more hurt than she was. "First, let's get you healed up. You look like shit."

Brook nodded in agreement. "I feel like shit." He smiled.

The two quickly began to search around for a room to sleep in for the night. It took them a few minutes, but, eventually, they found a room with a bed that was in decent shape. They searched the room, and found inside a small chest with a few gems and what appeared to be a decent amount of gold pieces. They both leapt with joy, and divvied out the coin. Once that was done and the room secure, they could actually begin to relax.

Holly sat down on the bed before turning to Brook and motioning for him to sit down. "Come over here, and take your shirt off." She said simply.

Brook nodded, and sat down. He took off his shirt, and set it to the side so that Holly could properly patch him up. Holly reached into her bag before rummaging around to find her healer's kit. She pulled out a battering ram, and placed it to the side before finding her quarry. Brook looked at the gnome curiously. "Why do you have a battering ram?" He asked not having a clue why she might need one.

Holly smiled, looking up to him. "Why do you not?" She poured a small amount of antiseptic on a piece of gauze before dabbing it on Brook's wounds.

Brook winced as he felt a sting in his side. "Ow." He whimpered.

"Oh, shut up. You big baby." She laughed, continuing to clean his wound before wrapping it with bandages. "There. Good as new!" She said, giving him a pat on the back.

Brook smiled. "Thank you." He trailed off quietly, noticing the red stain on her clothes that was getting a little darker.

"You're hurt too." He sighed before grabbing the healer's kit from her. "Now, you take your shirt off. Let me fix you up." He said with a shy smile.

Holly looked at her side, and sighed. "Fine." She took off her shirt, and turned so that Brook could get a better look at it. "How does it look?" She asked, unable to fully inspect it herself.

"Not too bad. Just a lot of blood, is all." Brook said, wiping her wound clean. "I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy." Brook quickly wrapped up her wound, making sure that she still had plenty of movement. "Better?" He asked.

Holly felt her side, and did a quick stretch to test the bandage. "Yup. Good as new!" She smiled before pulling him in for a kiss. "Thank you."

Brook smiled back at her. "You're very welcome." He replied, kissing her back in kind. He sat back on the bed, and tested the comfort. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad.

Holly smiled at Brook before casting prestidigitation on the bed a few times so that it was cleaner. The gods only knew how long it had been here. She moved her things to the foot of the bed, and looked back at Brook. She looked him over, looking at his features and the lines of his body. This wasn't the first time she had seen him without his shirt on. Over the last few months, they had seen a lot of each other's skin. This was different from before, though. This time, they were well and truly alone together, and they were both sitting on a bed without their shirts on.

Brook closed his eyes not because he was tired, but because he was relaxed. He thought about the day and how it had gone. He was annoyed with the turn of events, but he and Holly were fine. That was all that really mattered to him. He reminisced about how the two of them had grown so much closer in the last few months. Over the course of 24 hours, they had gone from ostensibly family, to dating. And, then, more than that, they had yet to take the next step, but Brook was content with waiting. They just needed some time alone… Brook opened his eyes, and looked at Holly who was looking back at him.

Her eyes wandered over his form appreciatively, and she licked her lips with anticipation before crawling on the bed on top of him. She straddled his waist and leaned down for a quick kiss. "This is kind of nice." She spoke softly. "You, me, a house… alone. I could get used to this."

Brook looked into her eyes longingly. "Funnily enough, I was thinking the exact same thing." Brook reached a hand up and around her, pulling her down to kiss her and rubbing her back as he did so.

She kissed him back long and hard, using her tongue to taste him. She loved his taste. She loved his smell, and she loved how close they were together. She leaned up, removing her bra without a second thought and throwing it behind her onto the floor with a giggle. "Much better." She murmured now that her breasts were free.

Brook move his hands to her breasts, feeling their soft and firm forms. He gave them a light squeeze before leaning up to kiss them. He moved his mouth around her nipples before sucking on them lightly. With a free hand, he reached down and gently ran his fingers against the small of her back, eliciting a shiver to run up her spine. He looked up, and gave her a playful smile. "What's next?"

Holly moved her hands down his chest, and played with the few hairs on their way down to his pants. She blushed, fumbling with the button of his pants before finally managing to undo it. She unzipped the zipper, looking up at him before she went any further. "Is this okay?" She asked, eyes gazing at him lustfully and wanting.

Brook nodded, looking back with want and desire. "Only if you want it to be." He smiled.

She smiled. "I do."

Then, without any further prompting, she started to remove the pants from his legs. He lifted and moved his hips and legs where appropriate to help her, and, soon, he was in nothing but a tented pair of boxers. Holly saw the evidence of his arousal, and blushed. This was the closest she had been to, well, it, and she was nervous and excited to try some new things tonight.

Brook raised her chin up to look her in the eyes before kissing her, and moving himself on top of her. He let their tongues mingle before retreating and kissing her on her breast, before slowly and meticulously, kissing her abdomen. He stopped when he reached her pants, looking up to her for her approval to go ahead.

Holly nodded, reaching down and unbuttoning her pants with one hand, wiggling her hips invitingly for him. Brook smiled. He grabbed her pants and slowly pulled them off of her, lifting her as needed. He tossed them to the side before grabbing one of her legs and kissing his way back up to her thighs.

By the time he reached her thighs, Holly was quivering in his arms. His kisses tickled, but they felt simply divine against her skin. Her hands found his hair, and her fingers tangled there, looking for purchase and wanting to touch him- needing to touch him. "Fuck." She whispered lowly as his head paused between her thighs. She wondered if capturing his head between those appendages would help her with a friction problem between her legs.

Brook felt Holly's fingers entwined in his hair. The feeling comforted him, and guided him. He wasn't sure to continue, but, when he found his head being pulled into her nethers, he had no other choice but to continue. This was the closest he had been to her most private bits, and he was currently enjoying the musky scent that she had. He kissed her softly, feeling her moan when he did so.

Brook's lips kissed her over her panties, and she cursed the thin fabric that was in the way between them. She wanted them off so that she could finally feel him, but she also didn't want to let go of his head either. She didn't want him to take it as his cue to stop. She wasn't sure that she could stop anymore if she wanted to. His breaths on her sensitive parts was driving her mad, and, if he moaned or groaned, she would probably come undone. "Brook, if you want to… you can take those off."

Holly's words hit him, and, for a moment, he wasn't sure if he heard her. He looked up at her, and, then, back down to the offending garments. He didn't say a word as he kissed just above her panties. Then, using his thumbs, grabbed underneath the sides of her underwear, and began to pull them down; then, off of her legs. He tossed them to the side before stopping to admire her naked figure. She was beautiful. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met."

Holly covered her face in embarrassment, enjoying the compliment immensely. Her face and chest colored with her blush, and her eyes sparkled back at him in her joy. "Thank you, Brook. That really means a lot to me." She accepted the compliment as graciously as she could. She looked up at him and down to his boxers; she was trying not to gawk at him, but it was difficult. She wanted to see and feel.

Brook saw her gaze be drawn down to his crotch. He looked at her before stepping off of the bed to remove his boxers. His member, standing fully at attention. He looked at her once again. "Are you sure you are ready?" He asked, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Yes." She responded, not mincing words. "I want my first time to be with you."

Brook got back onto the bed, and leaned over her before kissing her passionately. He pulled her close, before reaching a hand down to slowly guide himself in. His hardness reached her opening, he kissed her, and slowly inserted himself inside of her.

When Brook was all the way inside, she winced, closing her eyes tightly. A couple of tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. "Could you… not move for a minute?" She asked. "You're… really big. That hurt."

Brook gave a frown before giving her small kiss on the cheek. "Sorry." He wiped away the tears from her face. "Just tell me when you are ready to keep going." He said calmingly.

"Yeah." She breathed, gazing at him with a smile. "Kiss me?"

"Of course." Brook leaned down, and kissed her slowly, allowing time to relax. He gently brushed the hair to the side her face before kissing her neck.

Sometime during Brook's kisses, the overwhelmingly full and stretching feeling of Brook started to feel good, and she wiggled beneath him. "I think I'm ready." She whispered into his ear as his tongue laved attention on her neck.

Brook continued to kiss her neck as he slowly moved inside of her. He could feel her relaxing around him, as it were. It was an odd sensation for him, but enjoyable.

Holly could feel every ridge of him as he moved slowly back out and then into her. The sensation left her panting and wanting for more. She felt so full and so close to completion already. She didn't expect it to feel this good the first time. His body on top of her was heavy, but his weight felt soothing and protective. She moved her lips to capture his, and their tongues meeting made the rest of their joining feel more intense to her.

He picked up his pace slightly. The feeling of Holly around him, both hugging him above and below, made his mind go faster. He wanted more of her. Brook reached his hand around the back of her head, and pulled her in for a more passionate kiss. His breathing was heavier now. They had only just started, but he was closer than he had imagined.

Brook's heavy breaths mixed with hers, and she grabbed onto any piece of him that she could. His faster pace was overwhelming, and it made her breasts bounce with each thrust. She used her hips to try to meet him for each thrust, and found that, when she did, his hips hit that spot she liked. She let out a moan.

Holly's moan sent a wave through Brook. The fact thathe could please her like this gave him a smile, and he held his breath to calm himself before he continued his pace. He watched as she squirmed as he sped up and relaxed as he slowed down; he was learning about her. He brought is hand up to play with one of her breasts while his other hand got lost in the locks of her hair. "I love you, Holly." He whispered into her ear.

When Brook started experimenting with different paces, she fought the urge to groan. She had been close, but, then again, this extended her pleasure for longer. And, Brook felt really good. His hands found purchase on her body: one in her hair, and the other cupping her breast and squeezing. She felt jolts of pleasure shoot down her spine. His head lowered to her ear, and she felt like the sensation of his breathing would be her undoing, but, instead it was his words.

Holly's arms wrapped around Brook's body tightly as she shook and spasmed in his arms. She felt her inner muscles squeezing around him, and she felt so amazingly good that the only sound that she could make was something akin to a scream, "Ahhh!" She cried back, unable to formulate words at the moment.

Brook's eyes closed as he got faster. The symphony she was making was causing him to lose touch with his rational mind. He held on to her tighter, giving in to his primal urges and trying to achieve what his body wanted. Holly was the catalyst for this, and he loved every waking second of it. "Holly!" He moaned.

"Brook, yes!" She shrieked, pulling him closer. She needed to hold onto something to ground her, and he was all there was.

"Holly!" He moaned louder as his pace quickened even more. He wasn't in control of his own actions, but he didn't care. He held her firmly as he felt his body being overcome by euphoria, seeing stars, and maybe even the universe itself. Below, he filled her with his love.

Holly panted, watching the expressions on Brook's face, and she kissed him softly on the lips when she felt him finish. "I love you, too." She whispered. "That was the best I've ever felt in my life."

Brook collected himself before he leaned down, and kissed her softly. He carefully fell over on his side, thoroughly spent. "It felt the same way for me, too." He panted, giving her a brief smile.

Holly waved a hand over her abdomen, making the somatic component for a spell. She felt the arcane magics wash over her, and laid back down to rest. "The ending is a weird sensation. Kind of sticky."

"Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." He mused. He wasn't mad at himself, but he wished he had more control.

"Weird doesn't mean bad, Brook. I'm pretty sure that's normal." She shrugged, resting her head on his chest. "It felt kind of good to be honest."

He looked down at her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm glad." He smiled. "I'm also glad that my first time could have been with you too." He gently rubbed her shoulder, relishing the softness of her skin.

"Me too." She sighed, yawning. "I would say that I want to go again, but there's all new parts of me that are sore."

"I don't blame you." He yawned. "I don't want to move from this spot." He closed his eyes, and smiled. "I'm not sure if I can feel my legs."

Holly's eyes closed contentedly, and she murmured reassurance to him. "Room is alarmed. We can sleep. It's safe." These words, she said, but wouldn't remember in the morning. She was out cold.

"That's good." Brook mumbled as he fell fast asleep, sleeping soundly throughout the night.

As usual, Holly was up with the dawn. She looked around the dim room, remembering what had happened the night before. She bit her lip. She definitely wanted to repeat that again soon. She looked at Brook's naked form, watching his even breaths and smiled. She could get used to waking up next to him. She stretched, and found that it was just her nether region that was sore. It was an odd sensation, but not a bad one. She still felt weirdly sticky down there from the night before, but she hadn't wanted to cast prestidigitation lest he feel insulted. She moved out of the bed, pulling on her clothes quietly, and gathering Brook's into a small pile.

Looking over at her place on the bed, she winced, seeing a little blood on the sheets, and using a spell to clean it away. She didn't want Brook to see that. He would feel worse for hurting her at the beginning. She decided that this was a secret she would definitely be keeping from him. He didn't need to know. She watched as her companion stirred in the bed, and wasn't really sure what to do. They'd slept together before, but they hadn't slept together before. What in the Nine Hells was the protocol?

Brook opened one eye then the other. At first, he didn't see Holly; he gave a quick glance around before finding her fully clothed at the end of the bed. He sat up, and looked around for his clothes, which, thankfully, Holly handed to him. He began to dress himself before he spoke to her. "Good morning." He said simply. He felt awkward, and he wasn't really sure why. Was it the fact that they had not said anything to each other yet, or was it because they both had just slept with their best friend? Needless to say, Brook was confused.

"Morning, Brook." She blushed. "Gods, I'm sorry, but this is terribly awkward. I haven't been able to figure out why."

"Yeah." He let out a sigh. Brook looked at her, and tried to figure out what had changed. They both looked the same, but, now, they both knew the other in a way that could never be undone. He moved over to the edge of the bed. "We slept together." Brook simply stated.

Holly groaned. "I didn't think it would change that much. Do you think it will ever go back to normal?"

Brook looked at her before shaking his head. "Probably not," He sighed. "but I don't think it's a bad thing. It might just take some time to get used to." He half-grinned.

Holly walked over to him, pulling him in for a fierce hug before stealing a kiss. "Alright, then. Let's get going. If we get home today, we still have three more days off! And think of all the money we earned for the ship!"

Brook smiled, and stood up. "Lead the way 'Captain Timbers'." Brook joked, giving a salute to the faux commander.

"I really love the sound of that." She muttered, grabbing her pack and hefting it over her shoulders before setting out the door.

Brook followed behind her, eager to follow her wherever she went.

Holly led them out of the creepy old house, and, without so much as a good riddance, walked down the terrible overgrown path towards town. The trek was long and slow, but uneventful. The two were covered in dirt and twigs, which required several spells to clean up. They found the owner of the house, explained what had been inhabiting it, and suggested a druid to help with the path towards the house before graciously accepting their payment and shuffling back towards their homes.

Holly reluctantly bid good evening to Brook when the paths to their different houses diverged, and grumbled her way to her house where she greeted Vlad, dropped her things, and laid down for a much needed nap.

Brook made his way home, shutting the door behind him. He had a brief conversation with his mother about his adventure, leaving out key details before retiring to his room, and promptly falling asleep.


	18. Departure

Three more summers came and went until an 18 year old half-elf and a 28 year old gnome were ready to set out on their own. Over those years, their preparations had paid off. Holly had been able to become adept at building siege weapons with a working knowledge on how to pilot a ship, and Brook had become an expert navigator after much effort. They were about as ready as they'd ever be, having grown stronger from their few adventures and being equipped by a surprisingly accommodating Vladimir Rasputin who'd even gone so far as to buy the pair a bag of holding. Holly had told him that she could just craft one, but he'd countered by asking her where the fun was in that. Holly had given him a huge hug, and left the house a little more than teary eyed even though she knew that she'd return one day. She found Brook saying his goodbyes to his mother, and Holly gave them their distance, not wanting to interrupt the moment. That is, until a certain half-elf called her over a bit forcefully, and made them all share a group hug.

After Pyria, the two walked a few hundred feet behind Pyria's house. Brook wanted to say goodbye to his dad before he left. He walked up, and leaned down next to the grave. "Hey dad, I just wanted to let you know that Holly and I are going to be going out on an adventure, so we won't be able to chat for a while." He sighed, looking at Holly and looking back at the grave. "Don't worry, though, we will look out or one another- like we always do, and, when we get back, I hope to have the sketchbook you gave me filled with a literal boatload of stories to tell!" Brook smiled widely, chuckling as he did. "See you around, dad." He said, standing up and walking over to Holly.

There was only one more place to stop, and Holly sighed a bit as she lead the way down the path that she had run almost 13 years before. When she finally stopped, it was because her tribe was in view. She nervously looked at Brook before stepping forward. Finding Glisenda and Noomfla was an easy task. She just had to look for the tallest person around and the chattiest. She explained that she was leaving on an adventure, and she wasn't sure when she would be back. They hugged her, and shocked her by saying that they were proud.

"Uh, Glis? Noomf? I kind of have a gift for you." She finally said, digging through her pack for a miniature trebuchet that had been in there for many years. "This has been magically shrunken down, but, if you ever need the real thing, just say dad's name and it'll be ready." This earned her several emotional hugs before, finally, Brook and Holly were free.

The two made their way to the outskirts of town, and as they hit the city limits, they both stopped and looked at each other. They gave a nod of acknowledgement to the other as, in unison, they stepped over the imaginary boundary that for many years they didn't think they would make it to, but, now, here they were. They grabbed each other's hand, and began walking towards the direction of the ocean, knowing that their journey would need to begin there.

On their way, they encountered animals, wildlife, and scenery that they had only either read about, or heard from stories. They were loving every second of it, getting to experience this exciting new chapter of their lives. At night, they would keep watch for one another. Holly had it mostly taken care of with an alarm spell, but it never hurt to be too careful. When the weather turned sour, Brook had it on lock down. Now that he was more far more accustomed to his powers, he could simply stop the rain, making it fall around them. Together, they made quite the power couple.

When they finally made it to the port city, they were overcome with joy, excitement, and shock at the raw power that the ocean had. They stood and watched the waves crash and flow out back to where they came from before repeating the process again.

After taking a moment, they both collectively made their way to find a ship that would take them. This proved to be more difficult than previously thought. Many of the ships and crew that they came across were more interested in Brook than they were Holly. They had many an offer thrown their way just for Brook to join, but,everytime, he declined. He wasn't going without Holly at his side. It made Holly extremely jealous of the half-elf, but it also made her love him more. They stayed for a few weeks before they were finally able to find a crew that would take the both of them; the crew of The Hired Gun.

Brook and Holly stood in front of the captain as she carefully went over the paperwork that was given to her. Her long red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and her face was marked with a few small scars, showing her time at sea well. She looked up at the two of them with a curious glance. "Artificer," She said, pointing to the gnome who gave a stalwart nod back. "and storm sorcerer." She trailed off, pointing at Brook. She was interested in the two, but she wanted to know more about the odd pairing. "So, you two want to be a part of my crew, and," She glanced down at her paperwork just to check her next few words. "you will only join if the other one does as well. Correct?" She sat back, waiting for a response from them.

Brook nodded before speaking. "Yes, ma'am. We're a team, and we work better together with each other than we do separately." Brook smiled, giving Holly a quick glance.

The captain looked over the two of them before giving a sigh, and placing a hand on her face. "Oh, gods, you're a couple." She muttered loud enough for the two of them to hear; they were blushing slightly at her words. She sat, and looked at the two of them. "You know, it's bad luck for there to be a woman on the seas. Let alone a couple. There are people out there who will go out of their way to make sure that this gets completely ruined. You understand, right?" She said sternly, making sure that they understood what was at stake.

Holly looked at Brook, and, then looked back at the the captain. Without blinking, Holly looked her dead in the eyes, and said, "Fuck them."

The captain smiled widely before laughter took her. She stood up, and shook both of their hands. "Welcome aboard!" Brook and Holly smiled before jumping with joy, glad that they had just begun their dream.

The first few weeks were hard on the couple. They might have been on the same ship, but their skills were such that they often went days with only but a glance at one another. Holly wasn't the strongest of the crew, but, what she lacked in the ability to lift, push, and shove, she had in ingenuity. On more than one occasion, she had to prove her worth to the other, stronger, crew mates- in particular a dwarf with a strong proclivity for ale was the worst among the group, saying she was not a proven fighter that deserved respect, and, each time, she would do her best to put a crossbow bolt in his ass and send him running. She didn't like it, but, short of activating one of her cannons earlier than expected, it was her best option.

Most of the past few weeks for Brook had been talking with the captain, charting courses, and having his head buried in maps. Thankfully, he was making his worth known. He hadn't been able to put his other abilities to good use yet, but that would come in time. On several occasions, he would see Holly going about the deck and pulling her weight. He sighed when the larger members would harass her, but knew that they were the ones in danger.

A few more weeks went by, and they were getting into the routine of things. Everyone was getting along. The deckhands were starting to see Holly as a formidable member of the crew while Brook's navigating and innate magical skills were getting them all to where they needed to be in record time. They were quickly becoming valuable assets to the ship. This became transparently clear a few nights prior.

The night was rainy and getting worse. Most of the crew were asleep with the exception of the captain, Brook, and Holly. Brook and the captain had been going over the course to finish up the recent job they had acquired. Holly had been waiting outside for Brook to finish up, so that they could have some time alone together for the first time in over a month. Holly was between boredom and annoyance; she really needed to unwind. Brook exited the cabin, and stole a kiss from Holly when his ears perked up. "Duck!" He said, pushing Holly to the ground.

Not a second later, a cannonball careened into the ship, causing splinters and debris to go flying. Holly looked to Brook. "Get the ship moving!" She said, making her way to the side of the ship the cannonball had come from.

Brook looked back at her. "Get the cannons ready!" He ordered as his eyes turned white as power surge through him. Brook was making the wind fill the sails, jolting the ship forward.

The captain exited her cabin to see what was happening. She saw both Brook and Holly already working to get the ship to safety. She placed two fingers into her mouth, and let out an ear splitting whistle. "EVERYBODY GET UP! WE HAVE WORK TO DO!" She yelled before taking her place at the helm. "Holly! Get those cannons ready to fire, double time!" She barked. "Brook! Get us as far as possible away from them!"

"Aye, aye!" They said in unison, going about their tasks as told. Brook made the rain stop around them; it would make everyone's job easier. Then, he continued to make the winds go in his desired direction- the captain using that as her guide. Holly reached into her bag of holding, and thought about a cannon. A moment later, it was in her hand. She spoke the command word, and it grew in size before hitting the deck with a resounding thud. Then, she opened fire at the ship that had hit them.

The crew came up to see that there was a firefight happening, and they were lacking behind severely. They quickly manned their stations, trying to keep up with team Hooky who were showing their mettle. Holly had already launched several shots at the ship, most of them hitting their mark. Brook had already cast sleet storm on the opposing ship, and it was causing chaos on the deck from what they could see.

Holly reached into her bag again before pulling out a ballista, making it grow as well. "Well, don't just stand there. Attack!" She yelled at an idle crew member who nodded and did as he was told. The captain smiled at the gnome; she liked Holly. She looked over at the half-elf who spawned three rays of fire that he launched over at the ship. They hit some of the crew and the ship. She could tell that, without these two, they would have been in some serious danger or dead right now.

A few more minutes of intense battle passed, and the other ship had stopped in its tracks. It was in ruins but still afloat. The crew let out a victorious cheer, and the captain turned the ship to collect what was left of the other boat. They brought the ship aside before dispatching the few remaining crew members that put up a fight. Holly and Brook made their way onto the ship, and began to search for anything that wasn't nailed down. They spent the next hour pulling the loot from out under the ship, which, they found, was no insignificant amount. They were both smiling as they made the way back to The Hired Gun. When they did so, they were greeted by captain Amaelia who asked them to join her in her cabin. They looked at each other curiously before they agreed, following close behind the captain. They entered, and shut the door behind them. Amaelia walked around her desk, and sat down before gesturing them to sit.

Holly and Brook did so. They were both curious as to why there were here, but Brook was the first to ask. "Captain? Are we in trouble for something?" He asked what they were both thinking.

Amaelia let out a sly laugh. "No. Far from it, actually, you two saved our lives today. If it hadn't been for you two, we would all currently be dead at the bottom of the ocean. Thank you- from the bottom of my heart." She said, giving a deep bow.

Holly blushed. She wasn't expecting such a compliment. "Captain, you don't have to do that. It is what any of the crew would have done." She replied modestly, blushing a bit at the woman's show of respect.

Amaelia sighed deeply, leaning back in her chair. "Yes, but not that fast or nearly as quickly. You two did it without even thinking. It was instinct," She smiled at them, looking them over appraisingly before standing up, walking in front of the desk, and leaning against it. "Thats why I'm going to promote the two of you to first and second mate. Effective immediately."

Brook and Holly were floored. Their mouths were opening and closing, but no words were coming out. They looked to the other, but neither could speak. Their locked eyes said everything that needed to be said.

"Now, you two can choose who is who, but you will probably want to decide before you leave this room." Amaelia teased, loving the expression on the couple's faces.

Holly looked at an awestruck Brook before turning to Amaelia. "I call first mate." She said, holding up a weary and shaking hand.

Brook blinked a few times- still processing the situation. "I guess I'm second mate then." He started before considering the rest of the crew. "What about them?" He asked, pointing to the door. "Won't they have issues about us getting this promotion after only being here a little over a month?" Holly quietly nodded in agreement; her mind still rationalizing everything.

Amaelia thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, you'll be fine. I have known them for a good while, and they will listen to what I say without question. You have both proved yourselves today, and they will see that" She nodded at her own words, believing in her crew.

Brook and Holly smiled before they began to vibrate with excitement, jumping up and hugging one another. They held onto each other, happier than they could have imagined. They looked into each other's eyes with a smile before Amaelia interjected. "Hold off on that for just a bit longer. We will be in port in a few days. You two can go fuck the living hell out of each other then, but not until we get there." She said furrowing her brow.

Holly frowned angrily, and looked Amaelia in the eyes. "Really!?"

"Yes, really." She replied with a deadpan answer.

"Fine, but I'm doing this first." The gnome grinned before sauntering over to Brook and pulling him down to kiss him passionately. Brook responded in kind, and grabbed her ass. Afterwards, the couple retreated from one another, and looked towards Amaelia. "Okay, let's get this over with." Holly smiled mutinously.

Amaelia was looking at Holly, feeling both annoyed and impressed. Very few crew members dared to challenge her orders, but, this gnome, she was an exception. "Fine. Let's go break some news." Amaelia stood up straight, and made her way to the door with the couple following behind her. She walked up to the helm, and got the crew's attention. "Okay, everyone. Listen up!" She spoke, waiting for everyone to acknowledge her.

It took a few moments, but they all eventually looked up at Amaelia. "Good. Now, after that skirmish we just had, I think we can all thank Holly and Brook here for keeping us alive. Right?" The crew gave a cheer, every single one agreeing with her words. "I am glad you all agree, which is why I have promoted them to first and second mate. First mate Holly Timbers, and second mate Brook Evenwood." She said, gesturing to each one as she said their names.

There was a brief moment of quietness that the two could feel. Later on, they both swore that they could have heard a pin drop during that moment. They almost felt threatened by the quietness. That is, until a torrent of cheers all yelled out in unison, deafening the two and turning their faces red with embarrassment. The crew all individually came up, and congratulated the two of them, making sure both Brook and Holly felt accepted with their new roles on the ship.

The next few days were spent going over responsibilities and seeing to any changes that were needed. They both saw areas where improvements could be made, and agreed that they should be done in port. Both the crew and Amaelia agreed, thinking it to be the best option for the crew. When they got there, the changes were made; it was mostly just ways to make sure that something like the attack never happened again, but, once those were done, Brook and Holly took to making sure that they got some well deserved and much needed alone time. The two weren't seen for two days.


	19. Collateral Damage

AN:

Hello everybody,

There is some pretty graphic violence in this chapter, so you may want to abstain from eating while reading this one.

Enjoy,

~MA

* * *

Brook and Holly settled into their new roles on the ship with little trouble. They still had some things to work on, and Brook was partially concerned for his and the others lives when he found that Holly's "things to work on" included more casks of gunpowder than he cared to count. When asked what she was doing, her only response was "Tinkering", which didn't help his concern in the least bit. Brook himself was busy improving his leadership by leaps and bounds, and, damn it all, if he wasn't charismatic enough to make it look easy.

Captain Amaelia was resting in her quarters while Holly was at the helm, and Brook did patrols, searching the horizon for any sign of other vessels while using his abilities to speed the ship's passage, guiding the wind to his whim. On one of the patrols, he stopped by the helm to give Holly a sweet kiss on the lips. He was glad that, as first and second mate, they got to spend more time together than before. They were even able to steal away enough time for a quicky in the bilge from time to time. Brook stroked the underneath of Holly's eyes, noticing the darkness of the circles there.

"You haven't been sleeping enough." He commented, halfheartedly glancing around for other crew members and keeping one eye out for ships.

Holly sighed, looking up at him lovingly. "I know. I'm feeling it right now. I'll take a break on the crafting for a bit. I've overworked myself. I'm sorry."

Brook frowned. "Don't apologize. Just take care of yourself next time. You make me worried when you do this."

"I will." She mumbled, blinking with heavy eyes. "I promise."

"Holly… your birthday is next week. Do you want anything?" Brook asked softly, knowing that he should get back to his duties.

She smiled at him wanly. "Just you. We won't even make port for another two tenday, so I can go without much this year."

"You sure?" Brook sounded reluctant.

"Yes, I'm sure. I went without birthdays for fifteen years before I joined your family; I can do without one more." She responded without hesitating.

A tenday passed, and, today was Holly's birthday. She awoke to a smiling Brook who greeted her only with breakfast and a cup of coffee that made her wonder where he'd procured it from. She wasn't going to question it. She finished her meal, got dressed in proper clothes, and made her way topside. A few other crew members greeted her with good mornings, and one or two even gave her a birthday greeting. Those were probably Brook's coffee hookup. She kept this in mind for a later date.

The day went about as usual until High Sun when another ship was sighted in the distance by Brook. Holly paid the ship little mind. It looked like a trading vessel, and she wasn't worried about it in the least. That is, until the ship threw up a flag and started gaining on them. What the hell did they want to parlay with the captain for? They were a merchant vessel, and they didn't deal in loose goods for selling. Only large shipments from port to port. She threw her hands up in exasperation, realizing that it was beyond her pay grade.

Holly sighed and made her way to Amaelia; she knocked on the captain's door before a voice let her in. "Captain, there is a ship approaching with a flag. It looks like they are waiting to trade." The gnome said, feeling slightly annoyed.

Amaelia looked at Holly before walking out the door to get a better look at the ship. When she saw it, Amaelia Abilene. "Oh, that's fine. We have a few things we could get rid of. Make a few extra coins." She reassured Holly.

"Okay, then. You're the boss." She made her way back to the helm before calling to Brook and the crew. "It's fine. They can browse the goods."

"Okay. Slowing down." Brook replied, letting the wind out of the sails, and the ship started going considerably slower.

The crew all gathered as the trading vessel arrived. The other ship was bigger, and had more crew; they looked simple enough. The ship pulled up alongside them, and the two moored themselves together. A tiefling man came out, introducing himself to the captain as Justiz, and the pair had a chat before they allowed each other's crew on the deck of the other. Everyone relaxed, and began to browse what the other ship had to offer. The trading vessel had a plethora of food and rations that many of The Hired Gun's crew bought in spades.

Brook went to go sit with Holly for a moment. They could take a breather. "I hope you are enjoying your birthday so far." Brook smiled, giving her a quick kiss.

"I will feel a lot better when this is done. I'm on edge." She grumbled, eyeing all the strangers on their vessel.

Brook looked at all of the people on the ship. He made a quick head count, and noticed that there seemed to be more than before. "Huh… that's odd." Brook spoke aloud.

"What…?" Holly uttered, before a gunshot rang out. Everyone turned in the direction of the blast, and Holly and Brook watched in horror as Amaelia fell to the deck of the ship. Her head blown away.

Before anyone could move to react, the trading vessel's crew attacked theirs. Holly and Brook jumped into action, but quickly found themselves unable to move. Their bodies seemed to be frozen in place. They watched as most of the crew were killed in front of them, and the others subdued. Why was this happening? What did they do to deserve this?

As the couple looked at what was left of the crew, a figure walked onto the ship. He wore a nice set of leather armor, and his clothes looked fine and well kept. Brook and Holly watched as the man walked up to the remains of their captain, and, with a gloved hand, scooped up some of her brain, hurling it at the two of them. The viscera acted like a shotgun shell, splattering over the two of them with blood and brain matter. Holly, still frozen in place from the effects of the spell, began to wretch.

"Oh, where has all that fire gone Holly?! That's what I liked about you." He sighed, looking the two of them over. "Oh, how the times have changed!" He exclaimed, smiling as he did so. Now that he was closer, they could see the pulled tight skin of burns that covered most of what skin was showing. He looked vastly different from when they had last seen him, but Holly and Brook both knew this man well. They were the ones to make him look this way. This was James.

Holly put on a brave face- one that was braver than she felt, but Brook could see her muscles tensing. She would be shaking with fear and anger if she could. Her eyes darted over to Brook as the words she was going to say formed in her mind. "Sorry, James. You'll have to speak up. I can't hear you over the screams of the women you raped." She uttered darkly, welcoming the punishment she would likely receive due to her words.

James laughed. "That's the girl I know and love!" He said looking at the crew of his ship who chuckled at his words. James looked at the half-elf next to her, and did a double take. "Half-breed? Is that you? Wow! Small world. Am I right!?" He laughed before kicking Brook in the chest, sending him backwards. Brook fell down on his ass unable to do anything about it. "Wow. That felt good!" He spoke, feeling somewhat better.

Brook groaned. It felt like he'd just broken a rib. "You asshole." He coughed.

"Says the guy who can't move." James taunted.

"Why are you here, and why did you do this?" Holly asked as tears were filling her eyes.

James walked up to her, and kissed her passionately. She didn't return it, and James retreated with a smile. "Honestly, I am surprised that you haven't figured it out yet." His voice darkened as he looked over at Brook, and, then, back to Holly. He took a few steps back, and waved his hands towards the ship they were on. "I'm here to take your dreams away from you. Just like you took mine." He deadpanned.

"Then kill us, and be done with it. Leave the crew out of this; they didn't do anything to you, you vile, loathsome piece of owlbear shit." She growled, summoning all of the rage of her older sister for just a moment.

"That right there is why I wish this could have gone differently." He pointed at her, sighing as he did so. "You are right, though. They did do nothing wrong, but you did. The two of you did, and, because you did that, everything that happens next is your fault." He looked at their crew, or what remained of them, anyway. He walked up to one of the gunners, and sat down next to him, looking back at the two of them. "First of all, you ruined my dream of being famous. So, you're not going to to be famous sailors. Thus, all of this." He said, pointing to the captain's corpse.

"Secondly, you made me lose something I love. So…" James nodded as several bolts shot straight into Brook, knocking him unconscious and bleeding out profusely.

Holly struggled, straining with all her might to move to do anything except sit on and watch, but she couldn't break the spell. She was too weak. Tears streaked down her face as she shouted Brook's name over and over like it would help. It wouldn't. She could only beg the gods that he survive.

James watched as Holly broke down at the sight of Brook bleeding out and dying. He smiled. He had almost won. "And, lastly…" He spoke, getting Holly's attention. "You took that all away from me on my birthday, and I know how much you love tinkering and making things. So, I am going to take that away from you too." When he said that, Holly felt her body being pushed forward. As she face planted into the ground, she felt blood in her mouth. James walked up, and drew his longsword as Holly's right arm was pulled taught away from her. "Happy birthday." Was the last thing Holly heard from him before she felt a blade go through her arm just below the shoulder. James picked up the limp limb, taking it with him as a trophy. He then strolled the ship, looking smug.

Holly shrieked in agony as the spell that kept her from moving finally lifted; her free hand clutched what was left of her arm, instinctively trying to keep herself from bleeding out. She couldn't really see through the pain, but she thought that she could see Brook near her. She had to heal him. She had to do something, but the pain was too much. And, worse, the blood loss was debilitating. In seconds, all she knew was darkness.


	20. Rebuilding

AN:

Hello everybody,

There's a pretty descriptive limb replacement scene in this one. So, once again, you might want to abstain from eating while reading this one.

Enjoy!

~MA

* * *

Holly awoke in her bed; she groggily looked around and saw that she was alone. She tried to sit up, but, when she tried to use her right arm, she found herself failing to do so. She fell back down on the bed, and looked at what remained of her arm. She was heavily bandaged up, but that wasn't what bothered her. It was the three inches of arm that made her eyes go wide. Her shoulder was intact, but there was small stump that hung off of it. She moved it slightly, thinking that she must be dreaming. Her other hand reached over and felt the bandage; it was tender and made her wince when she did so.

She grabbed her head. How did this happen? She tried to remember. That was when it hit her. The memories of what happened came flooding back. She clutched her temple as she remembered Amaelia dropping dead, the crew getting killed, her arm getting chopped off, and Brook… Holly leapt out of bed now; she needed to find him. She looked around the empty room, and saw no one other than herself. "Brook. Brook! BROOK!" She screamed. No, he couldn't be gone.

Holly's breathing became labored and shallow as she bolted to the door, fumbling with the handle. Her eyes strained as the sunlight met her. She ran out onto the deck of the ship, frantically searching for Brook. She saw a few crew members with shocked expressions on their face, but there was no half-elf among them. Her eyes darted across the deck, searching for some clue to his whereabouts before she saw where he was last.

There was a large pool of dried blood where Brook last was. It was at least fifteen feet wide. Holly covered her mouth as she felt her legs give out. Tears streamed from her eyes as she felt overcome with grief. She shook her head. "No, no, no, nonononono." She stammered. "NOOOOO!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, threatening to rupture them as she did so. She fell into a heap on the ground. Why did this happen? Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't she save him?

As Holly sobbed uncontrollably, a set of footsteps approached from behind her, having a audible limp to them. As they approached, they stopped next to her before leaning down. "You know, for a girl who just lost an arm, you are surprisingly active. You really ought to get some rest."

Holly looked up at hearing the familiar voice; her body spinning when she recognized it. Her eyes looked up at Brook, he was heavily bandaged and was using a pair of crutches, but he was alive. She heaved a sigh, pulling him in for a fierce embrace, which she pulled away from quickly. "Hugs are weird now." She grumbled, wiping away the fresh tears from thinking that Brook was gone. "Thank the gods. You're alive."

Brook laughed hollowly at her words. "You're worried about hugging me. Of course, you are."

Holly looked all about the ship and the crew. She had caused this. All of this. She struggled to repress a sob. She had to be strong now. "Alright!" She called out to the crew. "I have something to say, so get the fuck over here so I can say it."

The crew made their way to the top of the deck, a few limped, but they looked to be in good health. When they arrived, they all waited patiently for what Holly had to say.

"First of all, does anybody need healing?" She asked, feeling her heart soften a bit at the sight of how few crew members were left. A couple of them agreed, and she cast Cure Wounds on them without a thought as to her own well being. She then sat down on the deck, crossing her legs. "I'm sorry that this happened to you all. It's my fault. I'm sure that you all have a lot of questions, so I'll give you the quick version of the story. That man's name was James, and, three years ago, he tried to rape me.

"Brook protected me, but, stupidly, we didn't finish the job." She looked over at Brook, fighting tears. "I don't deserve your respect or sympathy after all that happened, and I understand if you want someone else to be captain. I only ask that you let me stay on the ship until we make port, and, from there, I'll find my own way."

The crew all looked at Holly; their gaze was long and intense. For a long moment, there was no sound. That was, until one of the men spoke up. Holly recognized him as Caldur, one of the crew members who had caused her the most grief when she'd originally joined the crew. "What that asshole did here wasn't because of you. It was him, and him alone. It takes a special kind of evil to come up with all this just because he couldn't get into your pants." He said, looking around the ship before his eyes locked with Holly's.

"So, captain. I think I speak for the rest of the crew when I say fuck him with a fucking anchor, and, then, send him to the bottom of the sea, riding his last fuck as a mark of honor." He smiled, giving her a strong salute. "Captain Timbers."

A second later, the rest of the crew did the same. "Captain Timbers!"

Holly looked at the crew. They were all saluting her. They looked proud to have her as their captain. She felt proud. she wasn't sure when she gained the respect of all of them. Hells. She was sure that she was going to be set off on a long boat or killed after this. Here she was, though, captain of a ship, and, mostly, in one piece. Tears fell from her eyes; she felt proud and embarrassed. She looked at Brook who smiled back at her. She sniffled, wiping away a few more tears with her hand before standing up.

Holly wobbled as she stood up, but Brook caught her, making sure that she stayed upright, "Captain." Brook spoke, giving her a smile.

Holly smiled at Brook, and she stole a quick kiss before she turned to look at the rest of the crew. "Okay. How long before we make it to port? We will need to fix some things up." She said, waving her stump.

The crew gave a chuckle. Brook turned to her. "If we keep our current pace, we should hit port in the next two days." He said, doing some quick math in his head.

Holly turned to face Brook. "Brook, I know what I want for my birthday finally. I need about… Twenty pounds of steel and five of titanium." She smiled.

Brook looked at her with an all too familiar expression of confusion. He sighed, and nodded. "Okay, it will be six days late. I hope you don't mind."

"I slept for four days!?" She exclaimed, looking at Brook in shock.

Brook nooded. "Yeah. When I woke up, you were out cold, and that was three days ago. I tried waking you, but you were out like a light. So, I let you sleep. The gods only know you needed it." He grinned, knowing how often she worked herself into exhaustion.

Holly sighed. "Thank you." Looking to her arm, she asked, "When were the dressings last changed on this?"

"Uh, this morning. Why?" Brook replied, looking at her even more curiously than normal.

"I want to see it and use some healing spells, but I don't want to waste the supplies." She answered honestly.

Brook sighed. He knew she was serious. "Alright then, let's go get you cleaned up." He said, motioning her back to the captain's quarters.

Holly sat down on her bed, closing her eyes and trying to dispel the memories of her birthday. Fuck. She'd never be able to get older without thinking about that asshole and what he'd done. She wished that Pyria or Vlad were here. She knew that they would know what to say or do to make her feel better, but, when she really thought about it, she realized that she didn't want them to see her like this. Broken. Only a shadow of herself.

When she opened her eyes, she started to work on removing the dressings. Luckily, she was left handed, and the task was not a difficult one for her. She was glad that James had assumed she was right handed or had otherwise forgotten that thing about her. She thanked the gods for that. The last bandages came off, and she winced. The exposed wound on the end of the stump had the gauze stuck to it. "Ouch." She griped as she wadded up the used dressing, and tossed them into a rubbish bin.

She stood up, and walked to a small mirror, steeling herself for what she'd see there before she lifted the arm to get an idea of what she was working with. She appraised the oozing flesh with a clinical attitude that surprised even herself. It was almost like an out of body experience. "Well, at least it was a clean cut." Holly said, waving her good arm and touching the stump with a Cure Wounds spell. She watched as the flesh reluctantly mended itself around what was left of her arm. Then, just to be sure that nothing was festering, she cast Lesser Restoration on it. "I have an idea." She finally said, looking at Brook.

"Uh, oh. That's trouble." He appraised her, looking over her arm quickly before sitting down on the bed. He let out a sigh. "Well, what is it?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to build myself a new arm, of course, but I'll need some help. Smithing isn't really a job for a cripple." She let out one barking laugh that sounded more akin to a sob.

Brook pulled her in, holding on to her. "It's okay, I will help as best I can." He rubbed her back. She didn't need to put on a facade for him; she could just let everything out. "For now, just try to relax."

She smiled bitterly. "You know that I don't handle stopping my brain well, and I probably never will."

"I'm not asking you to stop your brain." Brook pulled her chin up to look her in the eyes. "I said relax. We almost died, and I want to make sure that you are okay mentally. You lost an arm, and I got shot 12 times in rapid succession. We need to make sure that we don't rush things this time, or we might just get blindsided again." He trailed off, thinking about how quickly James had subdued them. "I don't want to lose you."

Holly kissed him softly, wrapping her arm around his neck to keep him near. She was crying, but it was soft, quiet tears and not wracking sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I almost got us killed. I should've just…"

"We should have done a lot of things… like killing James back when we first dealt with him." He replied with tears in his eyes and a quavering voice. "Because of that, he tracked the two of us down just to prove a point. He knew where we were going to be. He was thinking five steps ahead of us." Brook held her close, and placed his forehead on hers. "Now, we need to start thinking ten steps ahead. Together. As a team." He looked her over, wanting to make sure that she felt the same way.

"I agree." She responded without a moment's hesitation. "We're going to need to be stronger. His crew was huge compared to ours before he killed them. We're not going to be able to keep up with those numbers. We'll have to make up for it by being better."

Brook gave her a kiss, solidifying her answer. "Good. I'm glad that we're on the same page." He pulled away from her, reaching over and pulling out his sketchbook. "Now, I know I am not nearly as smart as you, but the gods only know I am creative." He opened the book, flipping several pages to the middle. "So, I came up with some plans." He smiled at her, handing her the book.

Holly took the book from him, and began to look at what he'd drawn, flipping slowly from page to page. She glanced back at Brook, nodding with impressed looks when she found one of his more ingenious ideas. Occasionally, she would point to something and ask clarifying questions or make suggestions to improve it, but, overall, she came away with one concern. How did they find James when they were ready?

Brook jotted the revisions down before setting the book back in its place. He looked back at her furrowed brow, seeing something was troubling her. "What's the matter?"

"How do we find him?" She asked not bothering with any lead up. "We're planning all these things, but it's all useless if we can't find him. I know that I can't cast Scrying, and I've never heard of a sorcerer doing it. So, what do we do? I'm not comfortable waiting for another ambush."

"I know, on the spell side of things, we're boned, but James isn't nearly as smart as he thinks he is. After he left, he only took a few of our supplies not much at all, really. Also, he didn't finish us off, and, to make matters worse for himself, he took your right arm." Brook trailed off on his train of thought before he realized something. "He left a trail."

"I'm not following." She puzzled.

Brook grabbed her shoulders as his eyes went wide. "He was so focused on making us pay that he skipped over the little things. He hired a large crew and ship. There has got be a record out there of the order, and it's a trading vessel. When they drop off goods, they pick up other ones to drop them off somewhere else. All we have to do is follow it!" Brook was jumping with excited anticipation. He felt like a divination wizard with this string of thought.

Holly finally understood, starting to feel Brook's excitement. "We're going to have to take work wherever we make port from now on. We've got to adventure again, and, by the gods, we're hiring a cleric."

"Oh,yes, we are!" Brook smiled.

Holly started to practically vibrate in her seat as their shared excitement built. Then, a wave of lethargy hit, and she blinked groggily. "Fuck, I'm exhausted. What the in the hells?"

Brook looked her over, knowing what the problem was. "You have been asleep for four days. Your body is still adjusting to losing an arm." He sighed. "It's going to take time to recuperate."

"Fine. I'll sleep, but can I eat first? I've slept for four days, and it feels like it." She frowned before deciding to use the last of her magic for the day to finish healing her arm. The flesh at the end of it looked somewhat ragged and scarred, but it was one solid piece without anything that shouldn't be outside visible. She shuddered at the thought, kind of grateful that she hadn't been conscious to see the worst of it.

"Okay, I'll go get you something. You stay here, and don't leave that spot." He said, pointing to the bed.

Holly looked at him bleary eyed. "Yeah, I don't think that I could get up if I tried."

Brook smiled, and turned to leave, limping out the door. He went and got the food as he said he would, but, when he returned, Holly was out cold. He placed the food next to the bed before kissing her forehead and turning to go make sure that the crew were keeping the ship on course.

Brook walked out onto the deck of the ship, and looked at the crew who were hard at work. He walked up next to the helm, and sat down next to it on a barrel. He let out a sigh. Gods, it hurt to walk. When he had woken up, there were still several bolts in him, two of which were in his leg. He had managed to get them out, but, without Holly's healing, it had taken much longer to close. He was glad that she was okay now. What is a bit of pain, making sure that she was alright? He caused the wind to fill the sails, and looked in the direction they were heading. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the horizon. He wanted James dead, and didn't care how it got done so long as he suffered the worst fate a person could suffer as they died. He let out a sigh, and focused on the task at hand. Get everyone to port. They were undermanned, and had been going nonstop to make it to where they were right now. They could rest when they made land.

Holly awoke only three times over the course of the next two days. She was awake for, maybe, a grand total of eight hours, and, in that time, Brook was fairly certain that she'd eaten her body weight in rations. He was impressed and somewhat horrified. He had never seen her eat so much. At sunset on the second day, a crewman called out, "Land, ho!" Notifying the ship of their arrival. Holly left her cabin, formerly Amaelia's, and made her way to stand next to the helm. She looked at the dwarf there, and said, "Thank you, Caldur."

Caldur nodded before he went to go get the rigging ready for docking the ship. Brook walked up next to her, leaning against the railing. "We will be there soon. I can say that I am glad to get off of the water for a bit." Brook mused over the last tenday's events.

"Same here. I think that we'll probably need to spend at least a tenday here. We need crew and healing, and I need at least a day in a smithy." She worried quietly for him to hear. "I haven't entered a port as captain before."

Brook placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine, besides, I will be right here beside you." He reassured her.

"Yeah. I can… We can do this." She girded herself for whatever was about to happen.

When they arrived, a grumpy quartermaster greeted them, clearly ready to be done with his day and go home. Holly kept business quick, paying the docking fees and dismissing the crew for the night. Holly and Brook remained on the ship, meaning to ward off any potential burglars with their presence, but, in actuality, the alone time was a much appreciated perk of the crew being gone for the night.

Holly's shoulders slackened, and she slumped down on the bed with a groan. "Fuck. This has been the most difficult tenday of my life."

Brook closed the door behind him before he fell down on the bed next to her. "Fuck. This. Tenday." He groaned, glad to actually lie down for the first time in the last two days.

"Thank you… for taking care of me. For making sure that I didn't give up. I love you, Brook." She told him, trying to sound more impassioned than she actually did. She was starting to get tired again. Damned injury. "Brook?"

"Mmhmm." He replied, looking up partially from a pillow.

"Do you- still find me attractive?" Her eyes watering a bit. "Because, I would understand if you didn't."

Brook brows furrowed; he got up and leaned over her, kissing her long and hard. He retreated a hand wandering from her chin to her arm. "You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever met." He said, feeling hurt at her question. "After everything we have been through, you think that you losing a bit of weight is going to change my mind about you? You haven't known me long enough, then."

"I'm sorry. It's,just, that… I really don't even like myself anymore. I'm trying to be okay with it, really, but…" She held her breath and closed her eyes, trying not to cry.

"Shh… It's okay." Brook pulled her close, rubbing her gently on the back. "Just let it out."

"I hate this!" She screamed, throwing herself into Brook's arms and sobbing until her eyes ran out of tears and she was hiccupping faintly.

Brook coddled the crying gnome, consoling her as she let out the feelings she had kept in for the last tenday. He felt the same way. He had time to let it out while she was sleeping, but Holly liked to keep on a facade in front of the crew- only showing her true self to the ones closest to her. Brook had known her for many years, and knew this well. He kissed her forehead, and gently brushed her hair off of her tear stained face. "If it's any consolation, I do, too. I thought that this whole thing was going to go so very differently."

Holly leaned in, and desperately kissed Brook just needing to feel that he was real and close and alive. "Me too." She whispered, adjusting herself on his lap, kissing him softly now. "Can you help me relax?" She blushed, looking away from him.

Brook pulled her face back to his, and kissed her softly back. "Of course, all you ever have to do is ask." He smiled.

The pair spent the evening in each other's arms, and, when morning came, a still naked Holly awoke to the light snores of a sleeping Brook. She got dressed, and prepared for the day. It promised to be a busy one. Brook woke up, and quickly got ready for the day. They had a lot to do, and he didn't want to dilly dally. He held the door open for Holly, and followed close behind her as they made their way to get things in order.

Holly felt strange, putting out ads for the hiring of crew, but this was her job now. She made sure that all of her hires were of a disposition that would get along with their team, but, given how many men they needed, she had to settle for hiring some unskilled workers. They would need a lot of work to get up to snuff. One of the hires was a tempest cleric named Rhea that she thought would be a good addition to their group. She worried that the men would give her as hard a time as Holly herself had experienced, but the woman was very blunt and straightforward. She could take care of herself.

The next order of business was finding a smithy willing to let her use their forge, which was easier said than done. Most smiths didn't like sharing their equipment, let alone with a woman. She eventually convinced one by showing him some of her handiwork and selling him a ballista that she had shrunken down. She didn't like that part, feeling like they needed the armament, but it was necessary. Holly got the pieces she needed made in two days time thanks to the help of Brook, but it would have normally only taken her a few hours, otherwise.

Assembling the arm was an entirely different debacle. She literally couldn't do it by herself, and, so resorted to walking Brook through step by step. The arm was assembled, and she was ready to attach it. There was just one small problem.

"Brook, I'm going to need you to help me graft this to my body." She explained, showing him her diagram of what was needed.

Brook looked at the diagram, trying to figure out how she needed the help. When he saw why she needed help, he was hesitant to say the least. "You need me to attach it… to the bone." Brook froze in place, not wanting to look at her while he contemplated her rationale behind this.

Holly looked at Brook briefly and nodded. "Then cauterize the wound once it is attached." She said tensely, knowing how painful it would be to do this.

Brook looked at Holly in disbelief. This was the most insane idea she had ever had. "W-why do you have to attach it this way?" He asked despondent.

"There are certain spells that I can't cast without an arm that I can actually channel magic into, and I can't do that if it just straps on to me and functions magically." She responded simply. "Unless you want to go indefinitely without Water Walk or Water Breathing."

"This is insane." Brook said, looking away.

Holly nodded. "I know. It's why I waited so long to tell you. I'm sorry."

Brook held his head is his hands. "You're absolutely sure that there is no other way to do this?"

"Can you cast Regenerate?" She asked bluntly. "Or, do you have the 3,500 gold to ask a temple cleric to do it?"

"Gods dammit, Holly." Brook uttered, trying to process what needed to be done. He stood up and walked around the room, pacing back and forth. He didn't want to do this. "Fine, but I am never doing this again." Brook raged.

Holly frowned. "I'm sorry."

Brook looked at her before walking and sitting down next to her. "Where do we start?" He said, focusing on getting this over and done with.

"You need to make an incision with a sharp instrument and expose the bone." She explained, handing him a dagger, and pouring a clear liquid over it to sanitize it. It smelled of alcohol.

Brook looked at Holly, before he turned to give her a piece of stiff leather. "You'll need this."

She took it, putting it in her mouth and biting down. When she was ready, she nodded, already knowing the pain that was coming.

"I'm sorry." Brook muttered as he took the dagger, and began to cut into Holly's arm, working as quickly as he could to get the gruesome task finished.

Holly didn't scream. She had been expecting this. She had felt it once before, but she did bite hard enough down on the leather that she was certain she'd bitten through it. She grabbed the bottle of liquor, and took a swig.

Once the bone was exposed, Brook grabbed the replacement arm, and put it in position. He, then, tightened the bolts that would fasten the two materials into one. He heard bone cracking as he tightened them up.

This time, Holly did scream. She knew that the bone would break with the bolts, but she didn't expect this much agony. Tears streaked down her face. "Fuck." She muttered when the worst was over.

There was a brief pause as Brook moved her arm out so that there was distance between her body and what was to happen next. He grabbed a black solution, and liberally applied it to where the two halves met. He, then, lit a match, and touched the area, which went up in an intense fiery blaze that lasted for no more than a few seconds before disappearing completely.

Holly lost all sense, and shouted every obscenity she could think of. She writhed and kicked, and she vaguely recognized that someone was calling through the door to her quarters; she couldn't hear it. All she knew was pain, and, she didn't realize when it started. She begged for death several times before she came back to her right mind.

Brook looked at Holly with tears in his eyes. She was breathing heavily, but alive. Brook stood up, and left the room, several crew members tried to stop him and ask him questions. However, Brook pushed past them before going to the side of the ship and puking his guts out. Once there was nothing more to wretch out of his system, he collapsed on the ground, crying angrily and punching the deck of the ship as he did so. He took a few minutes to catch his breath and clear his mind before he got off the ship to get a much needed drink.

Holly realized quickly that Brook wasn't coming back. She could tell that she was in shock from the pallor of her skin and the violent shaking of her hand. She cast Lesser Restoration on herself, and finished the job in a subdued manner, making a few adjustments to the machinery before infusing it with her magic. That process was the time consuming part, and she thought that she spent about an hour doing it. When she was done, she experimentally moved the fingers of her right arm. She smiled at the success.

She cleaned up the blood with a few spells, and cast Cure Wounds just to be sure that everything was in order before she stepped out of her quarters. She looked around at the crew, eyes searching for Brook, but not finding him. She sighed, waving at Caldur, who she'd appointed as second mate, to take the lead while she collected her half-elf.

She found him in a nearby tavern getting plastered, and she tried not to laugh at how sloppy drunk he had gotten so quickly. She waved to the barkeep, and paid for the drinks, escorting Brook back to the ship to sleep it off. As Holly got Brook into their bed, she smiled, and turned around before hearing a whimper come from the half-elf. She walked over to him to brush his head to try and console him. "I said I would never hurt her, but I did." He murmured to himself over and over again before eventually falling asleep.

Holly winced at his words. She remembered that promise; it had been after the first fight with James. James had made Brook break that promise. Her chest tightened, and she vowed to make him pay in the most brutal and painful ways that she could imagine. She moved to leave their quarters before seeing the liquor where they'd left it during the 'surgery'. She picked it up, and brought it with her, taking a long swig as she left the room that managed to finish the bottle.

When she shut the door, she threw the bottle on the ground at her feet with her new arm, shouting to the crew that could hear. "I suggest that you finish any business that you have in town tonight. Be prepared for a fight. At dawn, we start tracking that asshole."


	21. Arguments

Holly awoke before dawn. The alcohol had gotten her to sleep much earlier than normal She got out her woodcarvers tools and got to work. When she was done, she admired her own handiwork, looking at the new name of the ship. The S. S. Amaelia. She'd never felt so sentimental before, but she wanted to honor the woman who had stuck her neck out for her and Brook. And, short of naming her nonexistent child after the woman, she could come up with no better way.

With that task done, she boarded the ship again, dropping concentration on the fly spell she'd used and made her way to Caldur's quarters. She found that he was already awake and braiding his bronze colored beard. "Can I talk to you Caldur?" She asked softly, knowing what she was going to say, but hating herself for it.

"Ye already are, lass." He responded, hardly paying her any mind.

"I think that you should stay behind." She said quickly. "As much as I need a competent crew, you have family, and what we're about to do is dangerous. You could die."

Caldur stopped his braiding, and looked at Holly with confusion. "Come again, lass? Did ye just ask me to stay behind?" His eyes narrowed at the gnome.

"I did." She leveled her gaze at him, speaking clearly so there was no question what she said. "I know that you're married, and I don't want to have to tell your wife that you died over my vendetta. She deserves better than that."

The dwarf stood up, seething with rage, but he stood firmly in place. He wouldn't attack his captain. Yet. He was thinking about many things at once, which didn't seem good for his health. "I stood by her for 20 years, and fought by her side. This is just as much my vendetta as it is yours." He stated.

"As long as you're sure that you're okay with that possibility, then." Holly answered. "I don't want to break any more families over this."

Caldur looked at Holly, and hung his head. "You are just as stubborn as she was. No wonder, she liked you." He finished up his braid, albeit hastily, before packing his things. He turned to Holly just as he was about to leave. "Captain." He said, making himself clear.

"Yes, Caldur?" She asked.

"When you find that asshole, make sure that not even the maggots have something to feed on." He swore, packing the last of his things. He gave her a salute before he left his room, and walked off of the ship.

Holly followed and looked around the deck of the ship, noticing some crew members watching as Caldur left. She took a deep breath, not wanting to cry in front of them. She looked over at the door to her quarters, and she saw Brook exiting it. He nodded at her, knowing what she had planned for the dwarf already. Holly took a deep breath before putting her fingers to her lips, letting out a piercing whistle. It was dawn.

"All hands on deck!" She called out, running up the steps and jumping up on the railing in front of the helm. "As of today, The Hired Gun is no more. Welcome to the S. S. Amaelia. We're setting sail for a dangerous mission. Search, seek, and destroy. If that sounds too high stakes to you or if you have a family that will miss you, get off of my ship right now."

She eyed them for a minute, and, when nobody moved, she continued. "So be it. Be prepared for anything. Our target is a spellcaster with a large crew on a vessel very much like our own. He can and will use magic on you to get what he wants. He will go for the kill, so should you.

"There's one last thing… He's a sadistic bastard. He will use every weakness you have against you, and he will turn whatever you love into something to use against you as well. Do. Not. Take. Him. Lightly. I did, and I have this," She raised her mechanical arm up for them to see. "To show for it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" The crew called out.

She looked at them before hopping down off of the railing. "You all know what to do. Get to work." She said, and a flurry of activity began before her. She watched, standing at the helm, waiting for the ship to be prepared.

Brook stepped up beside her, grabbing her shoulder lightly. "You've gotten really good at that." He commented.

"Thanks." She replied, looking up at him. "Do you think they're ready?"

"Honestly… no." Brook sighed, nursing his hungover head. "But, it is what it is." He breathed in, smelling the salty sea air and looking at the crew. "We will need to make sure that those adventuring jobs can make them ready." Brook stated, looking down at Holly. He looked at her new arm, and gagged a bit before turning away to not throw up.

Holly looked at Brook, and frowned. She regretted making him help her, but he was the only one that she could trust. She stretched out a hand and cast Lesser Restoration on him to help with his hangover. She was worried about him and their relationship if he couldn't look at her without retching. "Do you need to go get more sleep?" She asked him, wishing she could take better care of him, but, now, being the only one left on the ship with experience piloting the vessel, she would be suffering many sleepless nights from here on out. She had even warned Rhea to always be prepared with Greater Restoration- in case she needed it. She would definitely be earning her salary as far as Holly was concerned.

"No, I feel better. Thanks." Brook answered, looking back towards her. "Looking at that is going to take some getting used to."

"Sorry." She responded nervously. "If it's any consolation, the titanium attachment part was a one time thing. I made everything else replaceable around it."

Brook nodded, reaching out to run his left hand up and down the cool metal. It felt strange beneath his fingers. Where her arm used to be soft and pliable, now, it was firm and unforgiving. "This is going to make our private life very interesting." He whispered for her ears only.

"How so?" Holly asked.

"Well, I assume that the metal arm won't get tired like a normal one." Then, he suddenly winced at something he'd thought about. "Let's not try anything involving important pieces of me with that until you get used to it."

Holly burst out laughing, nearly falling to the ground in her mirth. It was the first time since her birthday that she'd relaxed enough to do so, and it felt good. Brook watched on as she wiped happy tears from her eyes, and he smiled at her antics. It was then that both of them knew that things were going to be alright.

Days passed, and they made port in a small bay in the northern part of Theisa near the capital. While there, Holly began to look for any jobs that would pay top dollar. The crew would need coin and experience to deal with James, and that was the best way to do it. She found a good starting job that paid pretty well given its description, and took it.

Brook had asked around for any info regarding a ship fitting James' description, he found nothing on the boat, but he did hear a rumor of a man fitting his description. Brook asked about it, and had learned that James did go by a different name "Leatherface". Brook took this new information to Holly, and looked at the ship as he walked on. It was a nice ship; it was also it was pretty recognizable. Brook sighed. Holly wouldn't like his newest idea- not in the slightest. He found her in the middle of planning where their adventure would take them. Holly saw Brook walk in, and smiled at him. "Oh, good, I am glad that you are here! What would be the fastest way to get here?" She asked, pointing to the map.

On it, Brook saw a small outpost not too far away, but the course would be rough given its location. He looked it over, thinking of the weather in that area. "Well, if we go south, we would be dealing with rougher seas, but it would be faster. Going north would be the better option, though, it's windier in that part, so it's more manageable for us." He explained to her. He didn't know the area personally, but knew enough to have a good understanding of it.

She thought it over for a moment, thinking of the crew first. She made up her mind. "North we go, then." She smiled. "Thank you." She said, stealing a kiss from him before going back to her work. He smiled back at her, and watched her as she worked, admiring her in all of her glory, which caught her attention. "Yes? Is there something you want to tell me?" She cheekily said to him.

Being pulled from his brief fantasy of her, Brook righted himself. "Yes, actually." He said, sitting down. "So, I found out something on our friend James."

Holly set down her quill, and gave him her full attention. "I'm all ears."

Brook held up his hands, and waved her down. "Calm down. It's nothing related to where he's at. But it is a name, Leatherface. It not much, but it is something." He said, looking a bit annoyed by the lack of immediately useful information.

Holly frowned. She wanted it to be more, but it was something. "Good! Thank you. We can work with that. The next port we get to, we will see if anyone has heard of it." She replied, picking up her quill, and going back to her work.

"Sounds good." He said nodding, but she didn't see it. He sighed, seeing her work so hard. He didn't want to interrupt her again, but he felt like this was necessary. "Holly." He spoke.

"Yeah?" She replied, not looking up from her work.

"It think… We should think about changing the ship's look." He simply stated, not trying to fuss over his words.

Holly stopped what she was doing, and looked at Brook oddly. "You want us to do what?" She asked, dumbfounded at her lover.

"Changing the ship's look. It could be a problem for us." Brook answered with the same straightforward tone as before.

Holly set her quill down, placing it to the side. She placed her hands together, and pointed them at Brook. "Brook..," She stated, trying to figure out her words. "We literally cannot afford that right now. Hells, we can barely afford to to stay here much longer." She ran her metal hand through her hair, trying to contemplate this idea. "We can't do it."

Brook sighed, he knew she wouldn't like it. "I never meant right now, but sooner rather than later. James knows what our ship looks like. If he saw it in a port, we could be both metaphorically and literally fucked." He stated.

"I'll think it over." She sniped, going back to work as her way of dismissing him.

Brook sighed heavily before leaving her to her work. He could get started on getting preparations done for travel, regardless of what Holly was feeling. He still had work to do. He just didn't want her to overwork herself; she had been doing that alot lately, and, if she kept it up at the rate she was going, he was worried that she might not be able to make it to the next port. Let alone James. He needed her- not just to get back at James, but for his own sanity. She kept him grounded, and she was the one constant in his life. He didn't know what he would do without her, and he never planned on finding out. For now, he would just focus on making things easier on her. Whatever it takes.

The crew listened as Brook began to tell them to move things into the position that would help with the travel. He checked his maps, making sure that the course would be a simple one. After double and triple checking, he was glad to see that it would be. Once he was finished, he saw Holly emerge from her the map room.

Holly looked ragged. She didn't look tired. She had no circles under her eyes, but the tiredness was starting to settle in, in different ways. Her clothes looked rumpled and unkempt, and the way she carried herself was different. There was a slump to her shoulders that didn't belong, and she be had been markedly more irritable than normal as of late. Brook tried to remember the last time they'd slept in their bed together, and the last time he could think of was before they'd set out to sea after the whole arm debacle. That couldn't be right.

"Alright." She said, "We're going to the location we discussed via the route with the winds. Yes?"

"Correct." Brook simply replied.

"Then, I think we're ready to go." She smiled, starting to get excited. She was bouncing up and down on her tiptoes.

Brook looked at her curiously. What had gotten her in such a good mood so suddenly? He walked up next to her before looking out to the crew. "Ready yourselves." Brook gave them a brief moment before the wind suddenly changed direction, and the ship jolted forward. A few crew fell on their asses, and a smiled pulled at his lips. He would never get tired of doing that.

He waited a few minutes before he turned to Holly. "So, where exactly are we going, captain? I know where we are headed, but not what's there." He asked curiously.

Holly looked up to Brook, and he was glad to see her smile. She leaned in close, so that only he could hear. "We are looking for buried treasure!" She whispered, giddy with excitement.

Brook's eyes widened. "You're kidding me? Right?" He asked, hoping she was serious.

Holly nodded. "Yup!" She was eager to do this. "I will show you later, but there is a map as well. I am excited."

"I can tell." Brook smiled simply. "I'll be looking forward to the map." He walked past her, and patted her on the shoulder. "Holly?" He paused, getting her attention.

"Yeah, Brook?" She asked, curious by the sudden shift in tone.

"Don't work yourself too hard. Okay?" He asked.

Holly cocked her head slightly, and nodded. "I won't."

"Promise me." He grumbled sternly.

Holly sighed. "I promise that I won't work too hard." She meant it, but she knew that it would be a difficult thing to accomplish.

Brook looked at her appraisingly. "Good." He said turning, making his rounds on the ship.

The day went off as normal. The crew used this time to get to know each other, much to the delight of Holly and Brook. They seemed to be getting along well enough for now, but it would take time to know just how well they would work together. By the time the sun had set, there were a few drinking happily, and others playing cards. Some of the crew tensed up when they would see Brook approach and try to look busy, but he told them that he didn't mind it so long as the work was getting done. If it did start to interfere, then, they would need to worry. Brook gave a terrifying smile and continued to finish his rounds. When he made it to his and Holly's quarters, he entered to find Holly busy at her desk. He took off his coat, and walked around to give her a quick kiss before wrapping his arms around her, seeing what she was working on.

He looked at the papers on the desk. They were mostly logs and reports that either needed to be filled, or were in the process of being filled. He didn't pay them much mind, that was, until he saw the paper she was actively working on. It was a map, not too old, but it was worn. He reached a hand down, and picked it out of her hands. "This looks like my department. Why do you have this?" He asked, looking it over curiously.

"Hey, careful with that!" Holly argued, trying to take it back, but not wanting to ruin the paper.

Brook walked in front of the desk, still inspecting the parchment. It wasn't a nautical chart. He knew that in an instant. There were markings on the page that he couldn't figure out, but he did recognize what this was. He set it down, and looked up at Holly "This is a treasure map." He was shocked. "Where did you get this?"

Holly sighed, and reached over to take the map from him. "In port. I told you this morning!" She said, feeling slightly annoyed with him.

"I figured as much, but how did you get it? They don't just give them out." He said with a serious expression.

"I bought it with the money we had." There was a deflecting tone in her voice that made Brook realize that she wasn't giving him the whole truth.

"How much did it cost?" Brook asked with narrowed eyes.

Holly mumbled a number that Brook couldn't hear.

"How. Much. Did. It. Cost?" He grumbled more sternly than before.

"1,200 gold." She answered louder, not making eye contact with him.

Brook's jaw dropped. He had a rough idea of how much the ship had, and, if his math was right, that was most of what they had left. Brook grabbed his hair, and stood up pacing around the cabin. Then, the realization hit him. "This morning, when you said we couldn't afford the ship renovations, you were serious." He paused, and looked her over. "Holly, how much do we have left?" He asked hesitantly.

Holly furrowed her brow. She didn't want to have this conversation right now. "We have enough to get us to where we need to go." She said, standing up and making her way past him.

Brook stopped her with his arm. "How much do we have left?" He glared at her.

Holly looked at Brook's arm in front of her, annoyed that he would do this. She shook her head, and looked him in the eye. "112 gold pieces. Happy now?" She angrily replied.

Brooks arm went limp when he heard the number. He felt sick. "You are risking everything on this map on the hopes that it will pay off. Holly, why?" Brook asked, feeling so very distant from her. Now, moreso than ever.

"Because I am the captain, and I make the choices here." She deadpanned, slamming the door behind her.

Brook was left alone in the room; he walked over to their bed and sat down. He held his head in his hands, contemplating what they were going to do next. He didn't have clue. He fell back on the bed as he felt tears in his eyes. What had happened to her? What happened to his Holly? Brook curled up, and sorrowfully cried himself to sleep. Alone.

Holly walked out on the deck, breathing in deeply, putting on her captains face, and manning the helm. She needed to get them to this next area because she was the only one who could. She stayed up all night, again, making sure that the ship was going true to its course. And, when dawn broke, she called Rhea over to have her cast Greater Restoration on her for the sixth day in a row. Holly nodded, thanking her, before she went back to her work, making sure that everything was being done right.

Brook awoke in the bed alone. He looked around to see no one in the room. He sighed, and prepared for the day, getting himself dressed and properly put together before leaving the cabin. When he left, he saw Holly at the helm. They shared a glance as Brook walked by. As he did so, Holly ducked into the room to continue working on the papers that she needed to complete before Brook had interrupted her. He sighed. This wasn't how he imagined their days at sea together. He knew it wouldn't be how he had imagined it, but he never guessed that Holly and himself wouldn't be talking to one another, much less fighting. He shook his head despairingly. Hopefully, things would get better.

Today, the winds were stronger. Just as Brook had predicted. This meant they would get to their destination faster. He smiled, and decided to go get some food. It was lunch time after all. While down in the galley, Rhea asked to see him in private for a moment. Brook agreed, and he followed her to her room. "Yes, Rhea?" Brook asked.

Rhea looked at Brook worriedly, like she didn't want to talk to him about whatever was ailing her, but she had no other choice in the matter. She needed to tell someone. "Sir, I have an issue with the captain."

Brook was shocked, but kept a straight face. "And, that is?"

"Well, I know that you two are close, which is why I feel the need to tell you, but she hasn't slept in days." Rhea said bluntly, not one to mince words.

Brook looked at her dumbfounded. Then, he thought for a moment. He hadn't seen Holly in their room sleeping in a while or at all. "You're sure?" He asked, wanting verification.

"No, sir, I know. She asked me to cast Greater Restoration on her for the last few days. She told me not to say anything, but I can't for the life of me let a person go around doing that to herself. Not as a cleric." She said proudly, but her voice was that of deep concern.

Brook was quietly fuming. Why had Holly been pushing herself so hard? Brook looked at Rhea. "Thank you, Rhea. I will take care of this. Personally." He answered, turning to make his leave, but stopped at the door. "Please, do let me know if anything like this happens again. With any of the crew, not just Holly. Understand?" He asked her.

"Of course, sir." She replied earnestly.

Brook nodded, and made his way back topside. He looked around, and, thankfully, didn't see Holly. "Good. I'm fixing this tonight." He said to himself, coming up with a plan. He got the attention of one of the crewmen who he knew was good at manning the helm. "I need you to helm the ship tonight. The captain won't be able to. She is feeling a little under the weather at the moment. Can you do that?" Brook asked the man.

"Of course, sir! Can do!" He replied, smiling.

Brook nodded, and, then, made his way over to someone he knew was also a decent navigator. Brook asked the man to cover for him tonight. "I just needed a night off. I will cover for you next time, deal?"

"Deal." He said, shaking Brook's hand.

Brook thanked the man, and made his way to the captain's quarters for a much needed talk. Brook walked in, and shut the door behind him. Then, he locked it.

Holly looked up from her desk, unsure of Brook's actions. "Brook? Why did you-?" She asked before Brook walked up to the table and sat down across from her, anger in his eyes. "Why have you been keeping yourself awake for the last six days?!" He demanded, needing an answer.

Holly actually reeled backwards at the sight of Brook's fury. Her heart pounded in her chest as she was startled; she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Holly was all too familiar with her body's fear response, and she forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to stave off the fear long enough to have an actual conversation and not a shouting match. "Because I'm the captain, and we're in dangerous territories. I need to be available and ready if I'm needed."

Brook looked at her as if she had six heads on her. "Dangerous territories?" He answered, confused. "These are neutral waters! The worst thing we will find here is shark if we're lucky!" He was fuming.

Holly blinked several times, shocked at Brook's anger in the face of her forced calm. Her eye twitched. "We are still in waters that are unfamiliar to us, and I feel more comfortable knowing that I'm here if the crew needs me. What if the ship were damaged? Who's going to fix it?"

"The shipwright that we hired." Brook retorted back quickly.

"I'm better with woodcarver's tools than he is." Holly answered. "He could need help."

"Then, he will ask for it," Brook stated. "unlike what you have been doing." He accused, pointing a finger at her.

"You're starting to scare me." Holly finally whispered. "Is this about my not sleeping or my promise not to work too hard? Because I can assure you that I am not tired in the slightest."

"I know. Rhea told me." He paused, trying to calm himself at least a bit. "Holly, this is about all of it."

Holly eyed Brook wearily. "I don't see what you want me to do about it. It's not like I can just start sleeping and all of our problems will be solved. Besides, you know that I've never slept well."

Brook nodded. "I know that, but sleeping is, at least, a start." He looked at her, and tried to figure out how he could get her to sleep. There were two ways he knew would work, but one would be the most surefire way to do it. It would also piss her off to no end.

"I will sleep when this adventure is over." She tried to bargain with him, thinking that it would be a fair compromise.

"No, you won't…" Brook uttered. "At this rate, you won't make it there. Let alone, to the end of all this." He said sadly.

Holly opened her bag, and pulled out one of her miniaturized ballista. "There aren't enough hours in the day for me to do everything that needs to be done. Do you think that I made this exclusively during the day? Because, I assure you, I did not, and I didn't even have a cleric around to help me feel better the following day."

"I know full well how long it took you make that. I was there. This isn't like before Holly. We have people who can help us. You don't have to go at it alone." Brook pleaded, trying to get her to see her wrongs.

"Brook, if I make mistakes, now, people die." Holly leveled her gaze at him. "I can't do this the way you want me to."

Brook hung his head. Holly left him with no choice. He nodded. "You're right, which is why I won't let you do this to yourself." He stared back at her, hoping to give her a chance to redeem herself.

"Brook, I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't. I hope that you'll forgive me one day, but I can't agree right now. I won't." Holly responded, watching his expression with a little worry. She didn't want to disappoint him, but she had made up her mind. She could rest when the threat of James was gone. She didn't deserve restful nights and sweet dreams yet. Maybe one day, but not now. Not when the lives of the crew were at stake.

Brook sniffled. "No, I'm sorry. I really am." He sniffed with tears in his eyes. "I suggest that you lay down in bed, and sleep soundly for the next 16 hours." He said casting suggestion on her, using his sorcery to double the length and heighten the spell, so that she would have trouble fighting it off. "Please forgive me." The tears now streaming down his face.

Holly felt the spell hit her full force. She tried fighting the effects, but several things were against her. First, she and Brook sometimes used suggestion for their extracurricular activities, and she was used to letting his magic work on her. Second, despite the magic Rhea used on her, she still wasn't at 100%, and her gnomish ancestry was only just barely giving her a leg up. Third and finally, she was so surprised that Brook would actually use this spell on her against her will that she didn't react fast enough to fight it. She felt her body succumb and her eyelids droop under the weight of the spell. "I hate you. You asshole." Was all she could say as her legs moved her into their bed against her will.

"I'm sorry, but it's for your own good. You will forgive me one day." He said, watching her move towards the bed. When she laid down, he sat on the bed next her. He just wanted to be sure that she got to sleep.

"No. I won't." She grumbled as she pulled clothing off to make herself more comfortable to rest. "I swear, if anybody besides you so much as touches that cabin door while I'm unconscious I will wake up and murder them myself."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I took care of everything already." Brook simply said, knowing that it would be a small chance of anyone arriving at the door. "Goodnight, Holly." He sighed, not looking at her.

"Fuck you." She mumbled, as Holly pulled the covers over her. She felt her body feel the effects of the spell take her, and sleep began to hit her hard. Her eyes drooped, and, soon enough, she was asleep snoring lighty.

Brook sighed. He was glad that she was asleep. Gods only knew she needed it; he wasn't proud of what he did, but he knew it had to be done. He laid down next to her, and stroked her hair comfortingly. He prayed that she knew that this was for the better. He looked over her body longingly. This was the first time in nearly a tenday that they had been in the same bed together. He wished it could have been under better circumstances. He just closed his eyes, and focused on concentrating on the spell; he could lose some sleep for her.

When Holly finally came to, she could feel warm arms wrapped around her, and she could hear the heavy snores of Brook in her ear. She rolled over to get a look at him. This morning, it was him, for once, with dark circles under his eyes. She ran her fingers over them and frowned, "Oh, you wonderful idiot."

Brook continued to snore, and she scooted closer to cuddle up against him. "I'm sorry." She mumbled against his chest, closing her eyes and pretending that she could have a real conversation with him right now. Or, other activities. It had been awhile, she realized, and she missed the feeling of his hands on her body. Maybe, she should try to sleep more.

Finally, she dragged herself out of bed. She looked down, and saw nothing but her panties on. She never did like clothing while she slept. She found her clothes scattered about the room, and cleaned them with a spell before unlocking the door to her cabin, stepping onto the deck. When she did, she was greeted by the light of dawn and a few crew members busy with their tasks. She saw Rhea who spotted her and promptly found that she needed to do something below deck, and, finally, she looked to the man at the helm that she had been grooming to become second mate. She smiled.

Walking up the short flight of stairs, she made her way towards him, stopping just short of the helm. "Good morning, Chester." She greeted. "Thank you for taking care of things while I was indisposed."

"Anytime, captain. Thanks for trusting me." He said, and Holly was suddenly struck with his words. She hadn't been trusting the crew to take care of her like she was taking care of them.

Fuck.

"Go get some rest." She ordered solemnly, realizing her mistake, and hoping it wasn't too late to fix it. "I'll take it from here."


	22. North By Northwest

Holly smiled when she saw Brook slink downstairs into the galley around noon. At least, he was awake now. She needed to talk to him and actually listen this time. She felt like an ass, and her mind had been going over all of her mistakes all morning. She wasn't very good at forgiving herself. As she'd told Brook many years ago, anxiety was a hell of a drug; she just hadn't known back then that the prescription lasted a fucking lifetime.

Brook got himself some toast, and drank his coffee. He sipped it, and sighed a sigh of relief as the delicious beverage hit all the right places. He was also glad that, when he woke up, he wasn't missing any limbs or malformed in any way. He was certain that Holly would have retaliated in some way after what he had pulled last night, but was glad that nothing had happened. He made his way back up topside, and beelined for the map room. He figured that Holly would want some space for the time being and that was fine by him. She got the sleep she needed.

Holly watched as Brook walked by, and she felt instantly crestfallen. Had she truly been so bad to him that she couldn't even get a good morning kiss? Her lips pursed, and she called a crewman over. If she remembered correctly, his name was Clarence. She asked him to take the helm, and she watched him puff up with pride at being trusted with such responsibility. It made her happy to see her crew so happy, and she was upset again by how stupid she'd been. With that, she followed Brook into the map room.

Brook set his drink down, and began to check to see if their course was true. He quickly counted out a few measurements before he saw Holly walk into the room. He sighed, and set down his tools. "Okay, I am sorry for last night," He said quickly and matter of factly. "but you really did needed the sleep. So, I'm not sorry for that." He said defensively ready for whatever punishment she was about to give.

Holly walked over to him, looking him in the eyes. "Please don't look at me like you're afraid of me."

Brook deflated at her response. "Wait, you're not mad at me?" He asked curiously.

"No. I'm mad at me." She looked down at the floor. "I really fucked up, didn't I?"

"By a Tychonian mile." He stated simply.

Holly finally tried to take a swing at him, but Brook nimbly dodged out of the way. "Take that back! Tychonia is full of a bunch of thieves and weirdos."

Brook grabbed her hand, and spun her around. "Nope, this was a big fuck up. This one stays."

"Fine. I deserved that." She relinquished her argument. "I'm so sorry, Brook. I should've trusted the crew, but, worst of all, I forgot to trust you."

He sighed. He was thankful that she knew she fucked up, but he was still mad at her. "I'm glad that you're sorry, really, I am. Now, we just need to figure out how to undo this clusterfuck you made."

"If it's any consolation, I really do believe that there's a buried treasure out there waiting… I just," She paused, wondering if she should actually say what she believed and finally deciding that she had to. "think that there's also a dragon guarding it."

"Well, I hope there is…" Brook froze. Did he hear what he thought he heard? "Please, tell me that you didn't just say 'dragon guarding it'." He tensed, holding the bridge of his nose.

Holly nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Holly, please, for the love of the gods, tell me why, in your sleep deprived state, you got a treasure map that leads us to a dragon, and what I can only assume is its hoard." Brook said despondently, unsure how his day had gotten to this point in such a short amount of time.

"I was thinking that we need to get stronger and that we needed money." She responded too quickly. "I was trying to kill two peryton with one bolt."

"Uh-huh." Brook sat back in his chair. He wasn't sure what to say next. His mind was racing. "You may have just killed all of us with one dragon."

"Brook, how old does that map look to you? Because, when I checked it, I guessed under one hundred years." Holly explained. "It's not an adult. Besides, dad has fought dragons, and, if he can do it, so can we."

Brook looked over the map quickly, at his best guess, it was about 50ish years old. He sighed. "Yeah, I know he can do it, but can't he also be immune to like, everything?" He tossed the map slightly. "Why would a dragon that young even need a map? Or, better yet, how did someone survive it and make this?"

"Well, if I were a young dragon starting to collect a hoard, I would polymorph myself into an adventurer and sell the map to said hoard for top dollar. Then, I would take the gold from the stupid adventurers who came to try to take my hoard in the near future." Holly tried to explain. "My guess is that she's silver. Want to make a bet?"

"First of all, no, I am not betting on what type of dragon it is. Secondly, wouldn't we have seen said dragon if we went this way? Gods only know that I got us up here in record time." He replied, giving a realistic explanation.

Holly smiled at the half-elf, "Some dragons burrow."

"Some also swim, if my memory serves me right." He took a sip if his now cold coffee and pouted. He set it back down, and looked at Holly. "Well, no matter how it travels, we are almost there, and we are broke. No matter what happens here, this will be the deciding factor on what happens next." He sighed.

"Brook?" She asked.

"Yes, Holly?" He replied.

She paused, wondering if she should reveal her secrets before finally deciding that it was for the best. "If you don't believe me, cast identify on the map under moonlight."

"You mean that spell I can't cast?" He said rhetorically. "Sorry. It's fine. I will take your word for it. It's just a lot to process, is all."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I forgot. Here." She reached into her pocket to fish out a wand, which she waved her hand over before handing it to him. "I can still only do the one charge per day, so that will have to be enough."

Brook looked at the wand in his hand. "Okay, I will look at it tonight." He looked back at her, knowing that they would need to tell the crew sooner rather than later. He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I guess I will go tell the crew here in a few minutes that they will need to be prepared to fight a dragon within the next few days. That should be fun to explain."

Holly leaned over the table to kiss Brook softly on the lips. When she leaned back, she warmed up his coffee with prestidigitation before making her way to the door. "Thank you for offering to do that. Also, when you get to read that map properly with the spell and are excited about what you find out, I'll be in our quarters." She told him. "I will require being thanked thoroughly."

Brook savored the kiss, enjoying every second of it, and he smiled when she warmed up his coffee. He looked at her curiously, and, then, the map. "I look forward to finding out!" He said, holding up the steaming cup of coffee.

Holly left Brook in the map room after that, walking all the way across the deck and into her quarters before bursting into a fit of laughter. Brook could just cast identify now and the result would be the same. She was just messing with him for the fun and mystery of it, and he had fallen for it. Tonight would be a good night. After she settled down, she made her way back to the helm where she could be found for the rest of the day until Chester took over again.

Brook worked throughout the day, coming out of the map room occasionally to make sure that they were going in the right direction, and to make sure sure the winds were going to his desired course. Once night had fallen, he waited for the moon to rise. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about this bloody map. He had looked at it several times throughout the day- not finding much besides that the writing was in draconic, a language he didn't know. Once the moon was up and its light shining, he made sure to be under its light before he cast the spell in the wand. When he did so, he found that the map began to glow a translucent blue. A moment later, a symbol of a dragon became visible on the map; the symbol was over an area that no one would ever want to check on the small island. He was shocked that it had worked. Then when he thought there was no more, the map let out an ethereal line, that pointed in the direction they were heading. Holly was right. This was a dragon's hoard. The map subsided and went back to its inert state, leaving him with more questions than answers. He, however, had only one thing on his mind right now.

Brook beelined for their quarters, locking the door behind him. He ran up to Holly, and picked her up, hugging her before twirling her around. "You glorious woman! I love you." He peppered her with kisses before setting her down. "I am sorry I doubted the map," He then gave her a longing kiss. "and I am sorry for doubting you." He finished, smiling.

Holly smiled into the kiss, pulling on the collar of his shirt to keep Brook's lips near hers longer. "I can think of several ways for you to make it up to me." She whispered huskily into his ear, nibbling on it for good measure.

Brook felt the all too familiar rush go through him as Holly did that. "Gods, I missed that." He whispered to her. He pushed her onto the bed before leaning over top of her. "Well, let's start those apologies." He spoke, kissing her for all that he was worth.

The two quickly found themselves stripping, and, before long, all was forgiven between the two. In the morning, Brook awoke to the still naked Holly cradled in his arms. He smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head. He had missed this. He laid back simply enjoying the feeling of being close to her. When he felt her stir awake, Holly turned around, and smiled up at Brook before giving him a kiss. "Good morning." She smiled, running her metal hand down his chest.

Brook let out a sigh. The cold metal felt good against his skin. "Good morning." He kissed her back. He looked over her body for a moment before his eyes met hers. "See. It is nice to get some sleep every once in a while, right?" He joked.

"You ass." She grinned, giving him a playful push. Holly let out a yawn before sitting up and stretching. "Come on. We still have jobs to do." She said, hopping out of bed to get dressed.

"I know. I was just enjoying the view is all." Brook smiled, watching as she got clothes on.

Holly shook her head, laughing; she picked up his shirt, and tossed it at him. "Don't you still have to talk to the crew about a dragon? Because I heard no mention of that yesterday."

"Yeah, I just wanted to check the map before I went off telling them that we would be fighting dragons." He replied, putting his shirt on.

"Well, please, tell them soon. I really don't want to tell them." She quietly trailef off, thinking of how she had been acting over the last few days.

Brook finished getting his clothes on, and walked over to her. "It's okay. That's why I volunteered. I am much more persuasive than you." He said, kissing her. "Also, stop thinking that way. You look much prettier when you smile."

Holly blushed, but looked up at him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before unlocking the door. "Thanks."

The air about the ship was nervous after Brook broke the news to them, but Holly's confident demeanor didn't slip one iota. She'd mastered her captain's facade long ago after having the blowout argument with her friends after James's attack. She'd had to pretend a lot then. Pretend to not care that friends that she'd had since childhood didn't believe in her or trust her judgement, and she'd become horribly jealous of Brook who had friends that actually gave a fuck about him as well as a few new ones who had grown interested in his new magical prowess. So, when she took the helm with confidence that didn't falter and an aura that exuded calm determination, that was the mood that too took over the ship. It wasn't a power, and she didn't want it to be. Powers could fail. Holly wouldn't fail.

They weighed anchor when the sun was high in the sky, and Holly whistled to get the crew's attention. "Chester, Rhea, Clarence, Tristen, Peter, and Slade you will all be coming onto the island with Brook and I. Everyone else, keep a sharp eye out. Brutus, you're in charge while we're gone, and, for the love of the gods, no arm wrestling competitions. We'll be back within two days." She didn't add the words 'I hope' to that sentence, but she was starting to get a little anxious now that they were finally here.

They used a longboat to make their way ashore, and moored it for safekeeping nearby before making their way inland. Holly cast identify on the map to check that they were traveling in the right direction before setting off into the thick foliage. They walked for several hours before they found a sheer cliff face that looked like it might require climbing until Brook suggested that they check the map again. What they found was that the spell was starting to point down instead of just straight ahead, so they started searching for some sort of entrance with little success until Tristen leaned back on a rock to rest and fell through it.

"Ouch!" He yelled for their benefit. "Guys, I think that I found it."

The group all carefully followed him through the magical stone and into a cave. They soon realized that more than half of their group couldn't see in the darkness, but Rhea had that well in hand, casting light on a few nearby stones and doling them out to those who needed it. They tread very softly in the cave, making sure that each footstep was well placed and precise. As they ventured farther down, they found that the cave walls had begun to show more signs of architecture. They quietly asked Rhea if she knew the design; she could tell that it wasn't dwarvish, but it was old. Brook looked at Holly, giving her a glance that could only be described as "Are you fucking kidding me?" Holly smiled awkwardly, and kept going forward.

They kept walking for almost two hours. The tunnel just seemed to keep going. Holly let out a sigh; this was taking far longer than expected. As her breath escaped her lips, she was shocked to see that it was visible. All of theirs were. The air had gotten much colder in the last few minutes, and they collectively agreed that they were close. With that in mind, Tristen decided to take the lead. He was the quietest of the group, and knew that he could scout ahead with relative ease. The group agreed, and let the elven man go ahead while the rest stopped for a quick break.

As they waited for Tristen's return, Brook did a quick stretch, getting himself ready for the battle. Holly did the same, making sure that her newest gadget was ready; she hadn't told brook about it yet. She was waiting for the right time to show it off. A smile came across her lips. Holly would enjoy the look on his face. Brook saw the mischievous look on Holly's face, and raised an eyebrow at her. What was going on in that head of hers? Brook shook his head. He could worry about it later.

"Could you two please wait until we are back at the ship before you go at it? We are kinda in the middle of something." Tristen spoke quietly, causing the group to jump.

Holly and Brook both looked at the elf. "First of all, we weren't doing anything." Holly said annoyed at Tristen. "Secondly, what Brook and I do behind closed doors is our business, not yours." She grumbled, narrowing her eyes at him.

Brook got up and patted Holly on the shoulder. "Save that anger for the dragon." He calmly spoke, trying to be the voice of reason. "Okay, did you see anything?" He asked Tristen mentally prepared for what he would say.

A wide smile hit Tristen's face. "Oh, yeah." He said shocked at what he had seen. He looked at Holly, and a serious face replaced his shocked one. "We might need a bigger boat."

"What?" Holly asked dumbfounded.

"Follow me… quietly." Tristen said, leading them down the tunnel for a few hundred feet. The group followed as quietly as possible not wanting to make themselves known.

When they got to where Tristen was leading them, they all stopped in their tracks. What they saw in front of them was awe inspiring. The cave itself wasn't all that big being no more that 200 feet at its widest. The interior of the cave had icicles coming down from the ceiling. At the center of the cave near its apex, a small well of light shone down onto mounds of crystal clear ice, illuminating the cave. Gold, gems, art, weapons, and armour were strewn about- some entombed in the ice others in small piles that seemed to be forgotten in the corners of the cave. In the center of all of this was a silver dragon, sleeping soundly at the moment.

Holly motioned them back the way they came, wanting to come up with a plan of action. They moved back, and all let out a sigh of relief. Brook looked over at Holly. "Okay, officially sorry for doubting you."

She waved him off. "We can talk later. What do we do about her?" Holly said, pointing in the direction of the dragon.

"Well, she is a silver dragon, so things will get cold." Rhea said, looking over the group before her eyes landed on Brook. She placed her hand on him, and a wave of protective energy washed over him. "There you go, sir, that should help you out. Maybe, you'll even stand a chance like the rest of us." She smiled.

Brook sighed as the group chuckled at him. He looked back at Rhea, and smiled. "Thank you. Just be sure to stay out of the splash zone. Okay?" He remarked.

Rhea nodded, glad with his response.

"Okay, and what about the rest of her? We can't really just walk up and say hello." Holly asked, needing some more input.

Tristen spoke up. "Well, let's not use anything that is cold. I doubt it will have an effect on her." He simply said.

"Anything else?" Holly asked.

"Hit her hard and fast?" Chester said, thinking of the only thing he could.

They stopped, and all nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then, let's get in there, sneak up on her, and get that treasure." Holly said affirmatively, making her way to the dragon.

The group agreed, and followed. They made their way back to the entrance of the cave, and, slowly, made their way inside. Tristen stayed in the back, drawing a bow and readying it. Chester and Clarence split off, and flanked the dragon. Slade and Peter hid behind a pillar of ice to get the drop on the dragon. Holly, Rhea, and Brook made their way up to the imposing figure of the dragon. She was about twenty feet long, but she was curled up tightly. Her wings were tucked at her side, and the light sprayed off of them vibrantly, lighting them up as they approached. Brook and Holly were ready to strike. Holly began to countdown to their strike when a voice spoke, "Hello, captain Timbers." The dragon spoke.

The dragon stretched, and sat up- its wings unfurling. They spanned an impressive thirty feet wide before they came back to the side of her. She craned her neck to look at the gnome and the two others next to her. "I have been waiting for you. You are faster than the others. Not bad." Her glance looked around the cave, and she saw the rest of the group. "And, it seems, you were ready for me." The dragon sighed, and stood up on all four legs. "Fine. Bring your best!" She growled, ready for the attack.

A second later, two arrows pierced the dragon's wings. Tristen had hit his mark. Holly, using the distraction to her advantage, pointed her metal arm towards the dragon. The plates on her arm began to move and reposition themselves as the barrel of a gun extended. With a resounding 'bang', the cavern shook as Holly shot the dragon.

The dragon was thoroughly pissed, and reared back, opening her mouth as her icy breath sprayed Holly, Rhea, and Brook. The three of them were cold and shivering as the dragon flew over to Tristen to deal with that problem personally.

Brook and Rhea began casting spells. Brook conjured a sphere that seemed to be made entirely of a storm, and Rhea conjured spiritual guardians to surround herself, Holly, and Brook. Chester and Clarence pulled out swords, and ran after her.

Slade and Peter drew their short bows, and began to fire at the dragon. But, the dragon's hide was too thick where they were aiming, the arrows bouncing off.

The dragon reached Tristen and smiled before slashing and rending into the elf. Tristen was standing, but very badly hurt. The dragon then felt the bludgeoning force of Brook's storm sphere, and, then, a bolt of lighting hit her from it. She looked at Brook only to see a four rays of fire come towards her. Only two hit, but it was enough to draw her ire. She spread her wings, and began to fly back to the three people.

Holly quickly cast fireball, engulfing the dragon in flames. The dragon kept coming. They were in her sight. Tristen let out another two shots, but only one hit this time. He was still standing, but his injuries were effecting his aim. Peter and Slade let out two more arrows: this time, actually hitting their mark. They had clipped one of her wings, and it looked like her movement was slowing down. Chester and Clarence saw her begin to approach, and readied themselves. She could come to them.

The dragon landed in front of the two men before rearing back. They braced themselves for the icy breath, but found not cold but, instead, gas. They breathed in, and found that they were unable to move. The gas reached all of the way to Rhea, Holly and Brook. Holly was able to fight off the effects of the gas, and so did Rhea. Brook was not as lucky.

Rhea reached out and healed Holly, making sure to keep the captain alive. Holly cast arcane weapon, this time, on her arm. She pointed it at the dragon, and fired, striking her right in the chest. The dragon was looking bloodied.

Brook was paralysed, but he was still concentrating on his spell. He would get her soon enough. Slade and Peter launched another bunch of arrows, hitting their mark. Tristen fired yet again, but he hit only once. He was still struggling to stand.

The dragon moved past Clarence and Chester, making her way towards Rhea and Holly. When she got close, the guardians Rhea had summoned began to attack her, and she was hit with an impressive amount of radiant energy. She pressed forward regardless of the pain, and she made an attack at Holly that hit, slashing her in the side. On her next attack, she tried to bite Rhea, but the dwarf saw it coming, dodging out of the way. Her last attack went for Brook, hitting him hard. He was alive, but just barely.

The dragon was annoyed. Why wouldn't they just die? She felt two more arrows hit her in the side, looking back to see Tristen. She let out a roar before another volley of arrows hit her from the opposing side. She glanced at the two that were hitting her before feeling two swords go deep into her leg. Chester and Clarence were up and moving. The dragon turned, and slashed at the two men who had just cut her. They had been barely touched since the fight started, so they were still standing pretty.

Holly took aim at the dragon, wanting to put it down. She shot the dragon again, hitting it hard. She was still standing, but only just barely. Holly let out a growl. "Just die!"

Brook felt his body move again, he looked at the dragon, and dropped his concentration on the storm sphere. He pointed his finger at the dragon. "On it." He responded, casting immolation on the dragon. The dragon screamed out in pain as the flames engulfed her, turning her body to ash.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief as the dragon's body fell into a small pile of ash. They were glad that it was over. Rhea looked around. "Okay, who needs healing?" She asked, looking over the group.

Brook held up his hand, and Tristen walked over limping. "Yes, please." The elf said clearly hurting.

Rhea sighed, and healed the both of them before moving over to Chester and Clarence. Peter and Slade were fine. They never even got touched.

Holly walked over to Brook, and healed him quickly before retracting her arm back to normal to help him up off of the ground. Brook looked at her as he stood up, and, then, back at the arm. "How long has that been a thing?" He asked worriedly.

"Since you helped put it on." She simply replied.

Brook's mouth dropped as he moved his hands down near his private bits. "You mean to tell me that you had a loaded weapon pointed directly at my crotch last night!?" He asked loudly.

The rest of the group laughed hard, causing Rhea to keel over in a fit of laughter while Tristen and Chester felt Brook's meaning. Holly looked at Brook dumbfounded, and blushed several shades of red. "It wasn't loaded!" She yelled. "Also, stop talking about what we do at night!" She demanded, not wanting the crew to know about their activities.

Brook looked at where he was before realising what he'd said. "Uh, sorry." He said blushing. "I'm going to go, and start grabbing gold." He announced, walking off to calm down.

Holly huffed, and walked in another direction to do the same. "He didn't mind it last night." She grumbled as she pulled out her bag of holding, and began to start shoveling coin into it.

They all quickly got to work, grabbing as much as they could carry. It took them quite a while to get most of it, and there was still plenty left. They would need to make a second trip. The trek back to the ship was much faster, and they grabbed even more hands to help them get the rest of it back. On their second trip, they found out why there was so much gold. In a small side cave, there were several skulls of dragons lined up in order, like a shrine. They looked around it, and quickly realized that the hoard they were in had been left to the youngest dragon just after the parent had passed on. It was their inheritance. They felt slightly bad for taking the hoard, but the dragon didn't need it any more.

On the second trip out, they had grabbed everything that wasn't nailed down. There was a lot of coin. They could have easily bought a new ship with how much they had acquired, and that was before even counting it. Holly looked over their haul, and was shocked to say the least. This was an incredible amount of money. Brook walked up next to her, and gawked. "So, I think that there is enough gold for a while, right?"

Holly nodded, trying to figure what needed to be done with it all.

Brook looked around for a moment before looking back at Holly. "I think the crew should get some of it. They would be happy with a bonus."

"Yeah. They could get a whole years worth of pay, and we could still get a new ship." She responded still looking at the coin.

Brook did a double take. "Just how much did we get?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I haven't counted all of it, but at least 15,000 gold." Her voice raised, still processing what she'd just said.

The half-elf's breath left him. That was a lot of coin. Brook looked at the pile of gold, and, then, to Holly. "Okay, then." He said, trying to break the silence, he'd inadvertently made. He looked back at Holly, and, then, remembered his idea from days earlier. "So, about changing the ship's looks." He said, trailing off.

Holly closed her eyes, and laughed. "You can make the ship look however you want. Paint it pink for all I care. We can afford it." She smiled, looking up at him happily.

"I won't be so bold, but James definitely won't recognize us until it's too late." He smiled back before looking at her metal arm. "Also, you might want to get an upgrade for that. That was really useful today." He said, flicking his finger against it and making a ringing sound.

She looked up at Brook mischievously. "I thought you didn't like the thought of it near your crotch." She said, cupping the metal hand around the bulge of his pants and squeezing slightly.

Brook jumped at her movement and the sudden attention he was receiving. "I never said that." His face was red as he spoke. "A heads up would have been nice, is all." He grinned before leaning down and kissing her. "Now, please, let go of me, so that we can go to our room."

Holly smiled, and let go, her fingers trailing as she did so. "Fine, lead the way." She giddily replied, following Brook to their quarters.


	23. The Hunt

AN:

Hello everybody,

This chapter contains major character death.

Enjoy!  
~MA

* * *

When they arrived in port, Holly called the crew together, and divided out their pay, making sure to tell them not to spend it all in one place. The crew happily took it, and made their way to go and enjoy themselves while the ship would be modified. Brook took care of that, making sure the modifications were what he specified. Holly spent the next few days, and quite a bit of money, on her new arm. This time, just like she had promised Brook, she didn't need any help attaching it, and Brook was genuinely impressed by the new look. Her arm was now made of adamantine. It was much more dense, and would be much tougher to break. Holly was even convinced that it would make her harder to hit, which Brook agreed with. When they were done making sure that Holly's arm was functioning normally, they began to ask around for any information on James.

They found that his name 'Leatherface' was getting some notoriety around these parts, causing issues wherever he went. His crew was rowdy and cancerous with a familiar sounding tiefling as their first mate. This sounded exactly like James's crew. They just needed to find out where he was last spotted in order to start hunting. However, they didn't need to search for long.

Before they were to leave port, they were met by an elven woman named Kiara. She had heard that someone had been looking for James, and wanted to meet them firsthand. She asked Brook and Holly how they knew him, and they carefully answered her questions, unsure if she was working for him or not. But, those thoughts were dashed when she explained what had happened to her. James had done a similar thing to her and her crew all because she didn't want to sleep with him. He hadn't taken any limbs, but her ship was only able to limp into port.

"Kiara, we are sorry that he did that to you. We will make sure he pays for what happened to you." Holly spoke, holding the elf's hands.

"Thank you. That means a lot." Kiara smiled. "Just make sure that he burns."

"Can do." Brook nodded. "No worries, Kiara. When we are done with him, no one will even remember his fucked up face." Brook smiled.

Kiara giggled. "Thank you, and please call me Kiki. My friends call me Kiki."

"Thank you, captain Kiki. So, what's next for you? Back to the sea?" Holly asked, curious about her next plan of action.

Kiki frowned. "No, there isn't enough money to fix the ship, so, I think, I will just try my luck at land adventures for a while. I hear they pay pretty good." She sighed, but figured it was the best option.

Holly was disappointed to hear that. "That sucks. Well, if you are ever north of the capital, look for a wizard named Vladimir. He is my dad, and, maybe, he'll be able to help you out with something." She smiled.

"Will do." Kiara smiled back. She turned, and made her way off to go get her things before leaving.

Brook and Holly watched as Kiara left, and, once she was far out of sight, Brook looked to Holly. "Did you just try to get Vlad a date?" He asked.

"Yup." Holly nodded.

Brook smiled, holding his hand out for her and made his way towards the ship. "Come on. The modifications should be done soon."

Holly grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers together as they walked. When they got to the dry dock where the S. S. Amaelia was located, Holly looked at what Brook had done to it. The sails had been completely redone. No longer were they white; now, they were a dark onyx. The paint of the ship had also been changed to match, giving it a dark and ominous look. Its figurehead, which was once a majestic eagle now had a fierce dragon's head. The ship looked completely different. If Holly had been by herself, she probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it.

On the deck, it looked slightly different with a few new armaments and details that brought the ship together. The few crew members that were on it were astonished to see how different the ship looked. Chester was standing at the helm, looking over it all. It looked like he imagined himself as the captain. He was supposed, jumping when Holly arrived. He gave her the helm, looking a little saddened but did so anyway. It was his duty, after all.

Holly looked at Chester, and saw a familiar look about him. One she had, had and felt once before. "Carry on, Chester, as you were." Holly smiled.

Chester looked at her funny before carefully grabbing the wheel. "Are you sure, captain?" He asked.

Holly sighed for all but a moment before turning to him. "Yes, I am. I am hereby appointing you second mate. Gods only know that you deserve it." She smiled reassuringly.

Chester's eyes went wide, and, then, a few tears filled his eyes. "Th-thank you, captain." He tried his best to keep a strong face, but he still was overwhelmed.

She reached a hand up, and patted him on the shoulder. "You're very welcome. Now, please point us in the right direction." Holly reaffirmed, making sure he kept his mind at the task at hand. "Brook, please get us out to the sea."

"Of course, captain." Brook said, making the wind fill their sails.

She waited until they were well out of port, before she called the crew. "Alright. Everyone listen up. We now have a lead on the one known as Leatherface. From here on out, everything we do we will need to proceed with caution, and we will exercise restraint when it comes to port cities. James could be anywhere. Nobody leaves this ship without someone else by their side, and not without either Brook's or my permission. Is that clear?" She instructed, making sure everyone one heard her transparently clear.

"Aye, aye, captain." They said in unison.

"Good. Now, let's hunt this asshole." She smiled.

The crew cheered, and all quickly got to their stations. They began to make their way to the last known port that James was at. It didn't take them long to get there, and, when they did so, it was Brook and Holly who were the first to go out, checking on any and all info regarding James. They asked around, following the trail of breadcrumbs Leatherface had left behind, and what they found was amazing and awful.

James was leaving behind a trail of bodies, people who had been abused, ruined, and even the families of the ones he had killed. With some help from a few victims and paying some coin, finding James's next location wasn't that difficult. Holly got a job that would bring them to their next point in the hunt for James, and they set sail for their next destination.

Within a tenday, they had made it to the port where James was last seen. When they asked about him this time, it seemed that they were only just a few days behind him, which made Brook wonder if James was waiting for them. Gods only knew that he was clever enough, so it wasn't an impossibility. Brook and Holly asked around, seeing if James had been looking for anyone. They got mostly mixed results, but the general consensus was that he wasn't. They were still hesitant to go forward; they knew not to underestimate him, let alone forget about him.

Brook and Holly argued on whether or not to continue to the next port, and, after much debate, they agreed to move forward. They would leave first thing in the morning. When they left, there was a tension in the air that wasn't there before. What was it that caused this time to be so different? Was it because the end was so near? No. It was the idea of seeing James again in such a short time. The idea made Holly sick and Brook furious. This was going to be a fight that the two of them would never forgot.

When they arrived in port, they made sure to dock near the end of the pier to keep from arousing suspicion. Holly paid the quartermaster the fines while Brook made sure that the crew knew what they were doing. Afterwards, the two of them went looking for leads. It didn't take long for them to find one; they'd quickly discovered where James was staying. Brook and Holly wanted to be sure that they knew he was there before they did anything, so they cast disguise self on themselves: Brook as an elf and holly as a halfling. They waited in the tavern for James to arrive, and, within the hour, they saw him.

He looked just as scarred as before, and he was still wearing that smug prick smile he had on his face. Holly felt her metal hand begin to dig into the table, but Brook stopped it. "Calm down, if he spots us now, we are done for." He whispered to her.

"I know, but just looking at him makes me pissed." She said, gritting her teeth.

"It's the exact same for me." Brook replied, getting her attention. "We both lost to him once before. We are not doing that again." He held her hand tightly, trying his best to calm her.

Holly sighed, feeling Brook's hand comfort hers. "Thank you. I just want this to be over with sooner rather than later." She smirked.

"Same." Brook smiled back before his gaze turned to see James walk upstairs. "Are you ready to end this?" Brook asked her.

"If I am with you, yes." She replied.

Brook nodded, and began to carefully follow James upstairs. Holly followed close behind. They watched as James turned into a room and shut the door behind him. They waited for a few minutes so as to fully catch James off guard. The spells keeping them hidden dissipated, and they readied themselves to end this fight. They walked up to the room, and kicked open the door. They burst in, and, inside, they saw… Nothing.

The room was empty except for a bed, a chair, and the bedside table. Holly and Brook looked around. Where did he go? There were no windows, and they were on a second story. They looked around, and, when they did so, they found a hand written note.

My Dearest Holly… And Half-breed, I suppose,

I am glad that you have been following me. It's so nice to have a fan club. You have been following me for quite a while, and I am impressed. Also, a bit annoyed. I have now realised that, no matter how hard I try, I will never be able to win your heart, Holly. It pains me to say that. Really, it does. So, you can have your filthy half-breed boyfriend and all the things you two have done together. I concede. You two can live happily together for the rest of your short lives. I will greatly miss you. I love you.

Now and forever,

James

When Holly finished reading the letter, she was pissed beyond belief. Brook tried to calm her, but was having no such luck. He angrily looked at the note himself, and, then, paused. What did he mean 'short lives'? Brook thought about it for a moment, and quickly checked for magic, finding that the room they were in was heavily warded. "Oh, shit." Brook uttered before grabbing Holly and bolting out the door.

Holly and Brook made it halfway down the stairs when they heard a deafening explosion come from the room they'd just been in. Then, the two of them were engulfed in a wave of white hot flames as the entire building exploded around them. The structure was torn asunder and thrown about like a house of cards in a storm.

* * *

James watched from his ship, as the building exploded violently. He let out a long sigh before wiping a few tears from his scarred face. "I will miss that woman. She had a fire in her that I have seen in no other. Nor will I ever see it again." He lifted up a glass, and gave a silent toast to the one woman who had stolen his heart, crushed it, and, then, ran away with it. He drank the drink deeply before making his way to his quarters to sleep soundly for the rest of the night as his crew made their way to his next destination.

* * *

Brook and Holly were pulled from the wreckage of the building. Rhea was the first to arrive, and immediately cast cure wounds on Holly. The captain looked better, but was unconscious. Rhea ran over to Brook, and found him without breath. Dead. She acted quickly, and pulled out a diamond before placing it on his chest, beginning the casting of raise dead.

Over the course of an hour, Brook came back to the world of the living, gasping and panting. Brook looked around in his weakened state; his eyes met Holly's prone form, and he began to crawl over to her. Rhea stopped him. "Brook! Calm down. Holly is fine. Worry about yourself. Please, rest." She said, trying to calm him.

Brook looked up at her in shock. "I… Who… Where… Where is James?" He said, trying his best to assess his surroundings.

Rhea sighed. "Long gone. He got us, or, rather, you… I'm sorry sir." She replied sadly.

Brook looked at her, and furrowed his brow before yelling out. Brook cried. Three times, they had been fucked over by that asshole. Three times too many. This was the final straw. James was going to die no matter how long it took.

Rhea picked up Holly, and Brook followed her back to the ship. Holly was set down to rest in their bed. Brook thanked her for the help before shutting the door and falling on the bed next to Holly, holding her tight.

The next morning, Holly awoke with no recollection of how she had gotten into her room. Brook was holding her, and he looked like shit. What happened? She didn't want to wake Brook, but he was the only one who might have any answers. "Brook?" She said shaking him awake.

Brook groaned as Holly stirred him awake. He reached down to hold his side where Holly had moved him. "Please, be careful. That hurts a lot." He groaned.

Holly retracted her hand immediately. How was he this badly hurt? How come she didn't remember? "Brook, what happened? How did we get back on the ship? Where's James?" She asked at a thousand miles a minute.

Brook sat up slowly, groaning at the movement. He held his head in his hands, trying to find the right words. He looked up at her and sighed. He'd found the right words. He just didn't want to say it. "James happened." He angrily growled, staring off into the distance, but it might as well have been the abyss that he was looking in to.

"What? How? We were in the tavern,and, then…" She started to say as she began to recall what happened next. Her hands covered her mouth, she gasped, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Yeah." Brook sighed.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out how they messed up. She shook her head, and looked at Brook. "At least, we survived. We can still get him back." Holly spoke, rubbing his back lightly.

Brooks face turned sour, and he stood up. "Well, you're right about one thing. We are getting him back." He paced the room slightly, trying to think of what to do next.

Holly cocked her head to one side. "Brook, what happened last night?" She said with a quivering voice.

Brook leaned against the desk. His voice wavered as he spoke. "I- I saw my dad." He tried to stand upright, but his legs gave out. He fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Holly's tears spilled over, and she bolted over to Brook, holding onto him as tight as she could. "Brook, I am so sorry." She sobbed, trying to make him feel better. She held him close. Last night, she'd actually lost him, and that made her cry harder. James had won. Holly let out a yell. The whole crew heard it, but she didn't care. She just needed to be close to Brook right now. The next few hours were spent on the floor next to the desk where Brook had fallen. They didn't move. They simply held each other close without letting go.

They had calmed down a while ago, and were now just sitting in each other's arms. Holly looked around the room, not out of boredom, but because something caught her eye. It was the note James left behind for them. She pulled herself away from Brook, and grabbed it. She sat down in Brook's lap again, and looked it over. She noticed something. "James said goodbye." She muttered.

"What?" Brook asked still in a bit of a stupor.

"He said goodbye. He would never see us again." She replied, her voice slightly higher than before.

"Yeah, and? He left us for dead, and, at least, halfway succeeded." Brook replied with an annoyed tone, not seeing the point of where her mind was headed.

Holly frowned. He was right, but she had a plan. She leaned down and kissed him. "Brook, I am sorry that this happened. Truly, I am." She held his hand, trying to comfort him. "But, now, we can beat him once and for all." She smiled.

Brook looked confused, shaking his head at her. "How?"

"Brook, like you said, he left us for dead. He probably thinks that we are. Now, he won't see us coming. We are ghosts to him." She grinned widely.

Brook looked at Holly like she was an angel sent from the seven heavens. He hugged her tightly, letting out a deep sigh. "Thank you for being so smart. I had lost hope there, but that just brought me back. Thank you." He whispered, kissing her sweetly on the lips.

Holly blushed, looking back at him. "No problem." She replied, kissing him back before standing up. "Now, let's go kill this asshole."

Brook stood up. "Lets." He smiled.

The two walked onto the deck, and Holly whistled to get the crew's attention. "As some of you may know, last night, James tried to kill Brook and myself." She explained slowly and deliberately. "He succeeded." She paused, letting it sink into their minds. They needed to know about what they were dealing with. "But, now, he thinks we are dead. Good. That will be his last mistake on this plane. We leave first thing in the morning. Be prepared. This will take time, so get your affairs in order. This is the last time I will ask this. If you no longer want to be here, do not show up tomorrow. That is all." Holly stated before making her way to the gangplank.

"Where are you going?" Brook asked.

"To get us two rings of nondetection, so he will think we're truly dead." She smiled. "Now, go get some rest. You will need it."

Brook smiled, and walked back to their room. "Aye, aye, captain."

James was going to die, and there wasn't a force on the material plane that would stop them.


	24. The Greatest Prey

AN:

Hello everybody,

This chapter contains some relatively non-graphic violence compared to other chapters.

Enjoy!

~MA

* * *

The last few months had been trying for the crew of the S. S. Amaelia. They had fought monsters and beasts, trying to make sure that they were strong enough to not let James get the upper hand. Some of the crew thought it was too much. No one would go to this extent to try to kill one man, but they would be quickly hushed for people had died because of that man. When push came to shove, they would all agree to disagree on this matter. The crew would make it through whatever came their way.

Holly had been training the crew to fight like a well oiled machine, making sure that they could count on one another no matter the situation. Between drills and the adventures they had been on, it had worked. They had a brief encounter with a pirate vessel, and, within a few minutes, the ship was done for. It took more time to get everything off of the enemy ship than it did to fight them. The crew was a force to be reckoned with.

Brook's training had been different. His training was similar to Holly's with the added bonus of the worst weather one could imagine, which Brook personally controlled. His rationale was simple. If they could work in the worst weather, they could work in any weather, and, by the end of it all, they could. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail were nothing to the crew.

Between the drills and creating the insane weather conditions, Brook and Holly had a new hobby to pass time- learning James's routine down to the minute. Over the last few months, every job they had done had been about getting information on the walking dead man known as James. They knew what routes his ship had been taking, what cargo he had, and even who was currently working on his ship at the moment. They knew what places he liked to eat at and what his favorite food and drink was at each place. It was an unhealthy amount of information on the man, but, keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer they say.

Brook and Holly had a plan to make sure James suffered, and they would savor every last second of it. Their plan was going to take place very soon, and they needed to be ready. There was but one small issue. Holly's birthday was soon, and, as much as they wanted it to happen, there was no way the plan would coincide with it. Holly and Brook both sighed. They wanted their plan to be perfect, and they knew more than anyone that, to make it perfect, they had to wait.

The few days before Holly's birthday were tense for her. She was constantly on guard, barely able to relax. Brook knew why. That bastard had ruined this for her. He needed to help her reset the idea of birthdays to make them happy for her again, and his idea was simple. The strongest bottle of dwarven scotch money could buy, two perfectly cooked steaks, and a night of passionate love making. Quick, simple, and highly effective.

When her birthday finally arrived, Holly awoke to find most of the crew were nowhere to be found. They were in a port, so she figured they must have gone off, but it was odd seeing so few people on her ship. She thought nothing of it, and made her rounds, checking the cargo and coin to make sure everything was accounted for. When she finished her rounds at midday, she saw Brook make his way into their room, and she followed to go say hello. "Good afternoon." She smiled at him, kissing him softly on the lips.

Brook gave her a big smile, and kissed her back. "Good afternoon." He said, turning to grab something before handing her a small box. "Happy birthday." He said, giving her another longing kiss.

Holly blushed. She opened up the box, and saw what Brook had gotten her. Inside was a small necklace. The emblem on it was an anchor that was made of mithril. The necklace felt incredibly light almost like it wasn't even there. Holly let out a gasp. It was beautiful. "Oh, Brook." Brook gently grabbed the necklace out of her hands, undoing the clasp to put it on her. Holly pulled her hair out of the way as Brook gingerly placed it around her neck and closed it. Holly got up and looked in a mirror, admiring herself and the necklace. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She whispered, turning around to kiss him passionately.

Brook kissed her back with the same intensity. "I know you are. That's why I got it for you." He smiled at her.

"You ass." She blushed, kissing him gently once more. She stood up, and walked over to the door. "Come on. We have work to do."

Brook followed her, and stopped her. "Oh, no. Not today, we don't." He replied, picking her up and placing her on the bed.

"Brook? What are you talking about?" She pouted curiously, wanting to know what he was up to.

"You are not leaving this room today." Brook replied, walking up to her and undoing her boots. "You are going to stay in this room. All day. With me." He demanded, throwing her boots over in the corner.

She blushed at Brook's forwardness. "And, what of the crew? Surely, they would notice if I wasn't around." She teased, loving the attention she was getting.

"They are off having the day to themselves. I told them not to come back tonight. We will be busy." He answered, leaning over her to kiss her.

"Doing what?" She asked in a husky voice, wanting him.

Brook let out a mischievous smile. He stood up, and walked over to the desk before pulling out the two perfectly cooked steaks and the whiskey. "First, steaks. Then, dwarven whiskey." He explained, walking to the bed with their meals.

Holly sat up, and looked over what Brook had gotten. He had clearly gone all out. She smelled the aroma coming off the steaks, and was salivating as he cut into them. Holly opened her mouth as Brook fed her a piece, which melted in her mouth. "Oh, my gods!" She squealed. "That is the best steak I have ever had." She said, taking another bite.

Brook smiled. He was just glad that she was enjoying it. "Good, but, here, try this. I hear it goes together perfectly." He said, handing her a glass of the strong dwarven liquor.

Holly sipped it, and was almost knocked on her ass by how hard the drink hit her. She quickly recovered, and took a second sip. This time, savouring every drop. "Oh, that's good." She sighed, feeling the alcohol hit her system.

"I'm glad you like it." Brook said, giving her a small kiss.

The two ate in silence for most of the meal, feeding one another occasionally as they ate. Once the food was finished, Holly sat back enjoying the full feeling in her stomach as the effects of the ale were mixing with her system. "So…" She muttered huskily with wanting eyes. "What's the rest of the plans for the night?"

"You, me, and eight hours of hot, passionate love making." Brook replied while removing his shirt, tossing it across the room.

Holly took off her shirt and bra, throwing them at him with a lustful smile. "Then, get over here, and fuck me." She demanded, taking another big drink of the liquor. "Make this the best birthday of my life." She teased.

Brook walked over, and picked her up in his arms. "I am going to make sure that you never forget this day." He promised, tearing off her pants.

"Brook!" She screamed as she felt herself being thrown back onto the bed with a half-elf following close behind.

The two woke up the next morning, each with a splitting headache and scratches and bite marks all over them. They were both physically sore. Their actions had been rather intense last night. It took them well over an hour to get dressed and ready for the day. They smiled at each other when they arrived on deck; Brook had done what he said he would. Holly would never forget that birthday.

The next three weeks were a flurry of activity. James was going to arrive in the port very soon, and the crew's surprise was going to be there for him. The final preparations were set, and they had bought the last things that they needed. So, when James arrived, he would be completely blindsided. All they had to do now was wait for him to show his ugly face and go about his business as per usual.

* * *

James woke up in his luxurious captain's quarters, stretching, and ready to take on the world. He put on his robes, and used his private bathroom. When he came out, he was dressed and ready for the day. He walked over to his wall of trophies, a collection of rings, knick-knacks, and objects that he had acquired over the last few years. His eyes looked over his most prized possession. It was the skeletal hand of a gnome that he had loved. This one, he'd gotten well over a year ago. He chuckled to himself. Her birthday would've been a few weeks ago. He had somehow managed to forget. He rubbed a hand over it, and sighed. "I still miss you." He whispered sadly. He let out a small sigh, and righted himself before he walked out onto the deck of his ship.

When he walked out, three women were waiting for him one with food, one with a drink, and the other with paperwork for the day. They all looked tired, and ragged, but their matching outfits were all clean and well kept. They greeted him in unison. "Good morning, captain!" They chimed, putting on their best smiles.

"Good morning, ladies." He simply replied, walking over to the helm and sitting down in the chair next to it. The ladies followed behind, and placed their items in the spots he liked. When they were exactly as he liked them, he waved them off, and enjoyed his breakfast. He looked over the paperwork. Everything was as it should be. His profits were high. Business had been good, and, later today, the shipment he was dropping off would give him enough to retire. All was right with the world.

When his crew got to the port, James was eager to go retrieve his retirement fund. He had someone carry the chest containing his loot, and, when he got to the quartermaster, he greeted him with a smile. "Good morning, sir!" James smiled.

"Ah, yes, James." The older quartermaster sighed. "Good morning. I take it you are here for your gold?"

"Sir, yes, sir. I have been waiting a long time for this! And, the sooner this gets done, the better." he smiled, thinking about the castle he was going to buy with a nice big throne. "Soon." He muttered to himself.

James's dreams dreams of grandiose structures were interrupted when the quartermaster arrived back with a frown. "Uh, James, I'm sorry, but there seems to be a slight problem." The man said, looking over some paperwork.

James looked puzzled. "What is that? You don't have the gold?" He smiled jokingly. "I will take payments."

The quartermaster shook his head clearly annoyed by the hall of the man in front him. "No, your job. It doesn't exist." He answered bluntly. "We have no record of this job you took."

James stammered. He looked around like it was some form of joke. He reached into a pouch and pulled out a slip of paper, outlining the details of his job. "I have a copy right here!" He said with a frustrated smile. "I have proof! Now, please, fix this." He ordered as the sound of aggravation entered his voice.

The quartermaster looked at the papers, and sighed. He took James's papers, and went into the back room for several minutes, before returning. "Sorry, James. Nothing. I don't know where or from whom you got this, but that job doesn't exist. I'm sorry." He explained as if James was a young child, trying not to mince words.

James was seething; his hands were clenching and unclenching, and his teeth ground together in his mouth. "You mean to tell me that I have been at sea getting that god forsaken scroll for no fucking reason! Is that what I am hearing!?" He yelled at the man as his face turned red.

The quartermaster took a step back from James, knowing of his reputation for a short fuse and taking out his aggressions on perceived enemies. "James, I'm sorry. There's nothing that I can do about it. Sorry." He soothed calmingly, nervous of the man's reaction.

James let out a furious wail before he turned, punching the man who was carrying the chest square in the face. The man fell to the ground, but James continued his unprovoked assault on him. When James stood up, there was blood on his hands, and the man was limp. James reached into his coin pouch, and pulled out some platinum pieces, before unceremoniously dropping them on the counter. "Sorry for the mess," James said, wiping his hands of the blood. "and keep the the fucking chest. I don't want to see it again." He scoffed, leaving the quartermaster to clean up the body and mess.

James made it back to his ship, rubbing his hand when he boarded. "Cleric!" He yelled out, extending his hand to be healed. A moment later, a thin looking man walked up, and healed James hand before bowing and walking away.

The tiefling saw James return alone, and sighed. He walked up, and greeted his captain. "Hello, sir. I take it business didn't go according to plan?" Justiz asked already knowing the answer.

"Oh, fuck off!" James grumbled in announce. He sighed, and hung his head. "For some gods forsaken reason, the job didn't exist. No record of it at all." He grunted, trying to plan out his next move. "I was this close to being done with all this." He said holding two fingers close together. "I just want to retire. Is that too much to ask?"

Justiz listened to James's rant, letting him vent as he did so. "Don't worry, sir. Good things come to those who wait." He smiled, trying to cheer up the man.

"Well, I am sick of waiting, and that phrase." James raged, looking at the man with eyes full of frustration. "You said that when we first went after Holly, and I don't have her. She's dead." He stared daggers into the tiefling's eyes.

Justiz held up his hands, taking a step back to make sure he wasn't within arms reach. "That wasn't my fault! You are the one who decided to blow them up."

"Her. I blew Holly up. Do not refer to that half-breed like he was people. He was a failure in life just like he was in death." James sniped at the tiefling, thinking on how he had lost the woman he loved to such a loser.

Justiz sighed, and looked back at James curiously. "You know, for someone who hated him so much, you sure do talk a lot about him." He retorted.

James turned, and held up a fist. He was going to strike him, but, as he was about to follow through, he saw guards arrive on his ship. "What the fuck?" He asked, letting his arm drop. He walked up to them, and stopped them from going any further. "What is the meaning of this? What are you doing on my ship?!"

A guard in full plate armor who was clearly the man in charge spoke to him. "Sir, we are going to need you to move your ship." He said with authority.

"Why!? I have paid my fees! I am allowed to be here. Why do I need to move?" He growled, trying his best to intimidate the man.

The lead guard looked down at the man with a half grin. "Funny you should say that." He said, pulling out a piece of paper. "It says here that you haven't paid your fees in months." The man replied, handing James the documentation.

"T- that's… that's impossible! We only arrived this morning! How could that happen?" James fumed, trying his best to reign in his reaction to strike the man.

"I don't know sir. That's not my business to know. Bring it up with the quartermaster. For now, I will have to ask you to move your ship out into the harbour. There are other ships that need this spot." He ordered, walking off the ship and waiting by the gangplank for the ship to be moved.

James growled. What was going on with today? He turned to Justiz. "You go see the quartermaster. Find out why the fuck our ship can't be here." He turned to another member of his crew. "You get the ship moved. I need a drink." James gritted out before storming off of the ship.

As James made his way to his favorite bar, he watched in annoyance as his ship moved out and anchored in the harbour. He gritted his teeth. He was going to need a bigger trophy shelf when he was done finding out what happened here. When he arrived in the bar, he was glad to see that the place was fairly empty. He could use some quiet today. He nodded at the bar keep, and made his way up to the second story. When he walked up the stairs, he saw that there was light coming from his booth. He stopped only briefly, and, then, darted towards his spot, yelling as he did so. "Who has the balls to sit in… my… spot." His voice when from anger, to shock and, then, confusion. He knew the two people who were sitting in his spot. A gnome and a half-elf both of which he'd thought to be dead. "H- Holly?" He asked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh, hello, James." Holly smirked, sitting next to Brook while eating a delicious meal.

"Half-breed?" James asked just as flabbergasted as before.

"Sup?" Brook nodded, taking a bite of his steak. "Please, sit down. Long time no see! It's been a while. Am I right? What have you been up to?" Brook smiled victoriously at the man.

James sat down more out of shock than anything else. He looked at Brook, and, then, to Holly. "I- I thought you two were dead. The building blew up. I watched it happen."

Holly and Brook looked at one another before Brook took the initiative. "Well, you're not wrong, but not right either. I did die; got to say hello to my Dad. Thank you for that." He paused for a moment, calming himself. "But, thankfully, our crew is really good at their job, and, Rhea, our cleric, brought me back. So, here I am." He smiled, sitting back and putting his arm around Holly.

"Thank the gods for that." Holly smiled, leaning in to give Brook a chaste kiss and remaining there against his chest. Holly looked at James, and saw that his expression had changed from shock to anger. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Holly asked him. "Is it this?" She asked, giving Brook another quick kiss.

"Stop doing that!" James yelled, looking between the two of them.

"Why? You said that it was fine." She said, pulling out the slightly burned letter he had written to them. "Right there." She explained, pointing a metallic finger at where the words were written. "So, you can have your filthy half-breed boyfriend and all the things you two have done together. I concede. You two can live happily together for the rest of your short lives." Holly read from the letter verbatim.

James looked at the letter with shaking hands, ripped out from the table in front of them, and angrily tore it to shreds. "Fuck the letter! You deserve to be with me! Not this... this…" He fumed, starting to turn red and then purple in rage.

"Half-breed?" Brook annoyingly responded.

"Exactly!" He agreed with Brook, and looked at Holly pleadingly. "Please, be with me, not him. We could travel the world together. We could-" James begged, dreaming of a world between the two of them before Holly cut him off.

"I'm going to stop you right there." Holly interrupted, sitting up straight. "First of all, no. Second of all, fuck no, and, lastly, not even if you were the last man on earth." She deadpanned.

James stopped in his tracks. "What? Why him over me?" He asked annoyed.

"James, I would be worrying about things other than that." Brook chimed in, looking at the man. "With how you day has been going, it sounds like you have bigger issues to worry about." He mocked, sipping his drink.

"How my day has been going?" James was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, first of all, you lose a very lucrative job. Sorry about that, by the way. Sucks to hear, and, then, your ship gets moved out into the harbour because you didn't pay your fees. That blows. You might want to look into that." Brook nodded slowly at James, feigning apology.

"How did you know-?" James muttered under his breath before it hit him. "Y- you did this. Didn't you?" He accused, pointing a finger at Brook angrily. His face turning red.

"I helped." Holly smiled giddily at James's current expression.

"I can't take all the credit. It was a group effort, really." Brook mused.

James's breathing was heavy. He let out a loud shout, and pulled his arm back to strike at Brook. However, when he pulled his arm back, an arrow landed in his fist. "Fuck!" He screamed, holding his now bleeding hand. He looked over to see Tristen holding a bow calmly. He waved at James. James looked all around, and found that most of the bar was armed and ready for battle. He looked between Holly and Brook, and got up to leave. "This isn't over! I will hunt you down, and mount your skulls on my ship!" He yelled before walking into the chest of a large half-orc who pushed him back into his seat. He looked up at the half-orc quizzically, and, then, to the two sitting across from him.

"Thank you, Brutus. About that," Holly said, lowering her gaze at the dead man sitting across from her. "this is over. For good."

James looked at Holly, and felt fear go through him. "What?" He asked. He was as pale as a ghost.

"You tried to take my virginity, you stole my arm from me, and, you killed Brook. Your life is fucking forfeit, and I sentence you to an eternity in the hells," She muttered, using a deadly tone and enunciating each syllable. She was making damn well sure that he knew that she was serious. "but, first, we are going to make you watch your world burn."

"H- how?" James asked, looking like he was going to hyperventilate.

Brook pointed out the window. "That's your ship sitting out in the harbour right? The one which is currently being robbed." He smiled victoriously.

James looked at what he was pointing at, and, sure enough, it was his ship. There was another ship next to it, taking crates and chests off of his and onto theirs. "Where are my crew?!" He asked, trying to figure out how this was happening.

"Either dead or helping ours." Brook explained simply. James looked at Brook, shocked. His mouth moved, but no words came out. "You see, unlike you, we have been busy. We have been going around killing dragons and a whole plethora of other things that you couldn't even imagine. It made our crew a terrifying force. Meanwhile, you were going around beating, killing, and raping everything in your wake." Brook paused, shaking his head disdainfully. "It wasn't difficult to figure what you were doing or who would betray you."

From behind the half-orc, Justiz walked up. "Funny how things work out. Huh?"

James was floored. Why was this happening? "But, why?"

"Because, fuck you. That's why." Brook said, holding up a hand and bringing it down. When he did so, four meteors fell from the sky, completely obliterating James's ship. The S. S. Amaelia was far away from the blast, and the whole bar- even the harbor- went nuts cheering and laughing.

"No. No. NO!" James yelled. His voice about to give out. He reeled around, glaring at the two them. "Fu-" James was cut short as Holly blew his head off with her gun arm.

"Fuck you." Holly spat, glaring at the twitching corpse of James.


	25. After the Fall

Holly and Brook couldn't believe it. They'd won. Actually won. It had taken more than a year of their lives and countless sacrifices, but James was gone. They could finally breathe easy. They were covered in viscera from the gunshot, but they looked at each other and shared a heated kiss. The kiss soon lead to Brook carrying Holly to their ship to celebrate, and, the usually reserved and quiet captain Timbers, rather on accident, vocally informed the crew of their victory.

The next morning, the exhausted crew congratulated Brook on a job well done, and Holly blushingly visited Rhea in her quarters, asking for a pick me up.

Rhea smiled, checking Holly over before politely refusing to cast greater restoration on Holly. "Captain, I cannot rightly cast that spell on a pregnant woman. If you're that tired, you should go sleep." She replied with a soft smile.

"Rhea, excuse me, but what did you just say?" Holly gaped. "I can't be. We use the spell." Holly mumbled quietly, more to herself than the cleric.

"Everytime or did you ever forget?" The dwarf asked calmly.

Holly thought for a minute before she said. "Oh, fuck. My birthday. We were both plastered."

Rhea simply nodded. "That's what I thought. Now, go get some rest. You need it."

Holly looked at Rhea nervously, "Could you keep this a secret for now? I need to figure out how to tell Brook before anybody else knows."

"Of course, and congratulations." She added before nudging her gnomish captain out of her room. Holly walked in a sort of dizzy and confused state all the way to her quarters where she fell onto her bed in exhaustion.

Brook popped his head in to check on her, and she waved him off, saying that Rhea refused to cast the spell on her. She would feel better after a proper rest that wasn't full of Brook and celebrations, so Holly slept for the day and into the night, waking up before sunrise began on the ocean. When she opened her eyes, she saw Brook beside her sleeping, and she went through hundreds of scenarios in her mind. Conversations that would never actually happen. Her mind even went so far as to summon a spectre of Brook who left her when she told him. That thought had her in uncontrollable tears in an instant, and this was how Brook found her, sobbing at dawn on their bed.

The half-elf pulled her into his arms without thinking, just holding her tight as a comfort. "Shh. It's okay, Holly. I'm here. You're safe. We're safe. He's gone forever."

Holly didn't quiet down for quite some time. She cried until there were no more tears, and her sobs were just sharp panicked breaths. "I love you, Brook."

"I love you too. You okay?" He asked softly, stroking her hair with a free hand.

"Please, don't leave me." She cried, heaving into his chest as her hands clutched at his shirt desperately.

Brook chuckled a little. "Is that what this is about? Me leaving you? Because that wouldn't even happen in my worst nightmares."

Holly kissed him desperately as if trying to assure herself that Brook was actually there. "But, I was thinking, and…" She was stopped short as Brook placed a finger over her lips.

"I get it now. You were thinking." He smiled up at her impishly. Then, he pulled her in for a tight hug against his chest. "Just yesterday, we kept the crew awake all night celebrating together rather acrobatically, if I do say so myself, and, today, you're breaking down because I'm breaking up with you? Holly, you need to tell that brain of yours to think logically for a moment. Now, what's the real problem?"

Holly sniffed, kissing Brook softly on the cheek. "I don't know. You know how I am. Tomorrow, my brain will come up with some crazy idea that James was working with devils to summon angels from the sky." She chuckled bitterly.

"You're insane." Brook said, pulling her body flush against his. "Are you hungry? I can get breakfast."

She nodded. "Yes, please. I'd really like that."

Holly and Brook ate breakfast quietly until Holly broke the silence between bites. "What's next for us? I'm thirty years old and you're twenty years old, and we've already accomplished so much. I'm a captain. You're first mate and navigator. Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know. There is a big ocean to explore. Maybe, we can go get an island named after us. Now that James is gone, we can literally do anything we want!" He smiled at her, thinking about what the future could hold for the two of them. Together.

Holly nodded slowly, "An island could be nice." She smiled. "I always imagined settling down near home so that we could be with Mom and Dad as a family."

"Yeah, but, you said it yourself just now, we're still young. There's plenty of time for that." Brook smiled over at her.

Holly felt her stomach sink at Brook's words. He wasn't ready to settle down. Her whole body tensed before she remembered to relax. "Brook?" She asked as nonchalantly as she could. It didn't sound very convincing to her ears.

"Yeah, Holly?" He asked back without hesitation.

"How would you feel about starting a family?" She inquired, looking him steadily in the eyes as she said the words.

Brook thought it over for a long moment, thinking about the idea. "Someday, yeah, but we are on the ocean. This is hardly the place." He joked.

Holly smiled back, but she knew it looked forced. She finished her meal quickly before dressing and walking out to the deck without a word more to the half-elf. He wasn't ready. Hells, she wasn't ready, but… this was happening. When she got to the helm, she gratefully took it from Chester before dismissing him for the time being. She needed a distraction to get her mind into better shape. Otherwise, she'd fall apart.

Around High Sun, Rhea checked on her, though it wasn't needed, and the cleric forced her to eat something even though she wasn't hungry. Rhea quietly explained that Holly should eat while she could since she was likely to develop morning sickness soon, and eating might be difficult when that came. Holly hated being coddled, but agreed, even letting Clarence take over at the helm for the afternoon, so that she could rest. Holly found Brook in the map room where he was fussing over dozens of papers and tapping on a compass with a little frustration.

Holly hopped up on the table, and sat right on top of where he was looking in order to get his attention. "I need you to chart a course for me."

Brook sighed, a little frustrated. "Okay. Where to, captain?"

"Brook, calm down. Will you? I don't know what has your knickers in a twist, but it will be fine, whatever it is." She smiled.

"Holly, where do you want to go?" Brook grumbled.

Holly frowned, and sighed her frustration. "Can you chart us a course to the port nearest to home? I want to see our family."

Brook's expression softened. "Yeah, I can. Sorry." He sighed. "You stormed out on me so quickly earlier that I thought..."

Holly gently cupped Brook's cheek, "I'm sorry." She whispered. "Take me home?"

Brook nodded, not even bothering to look at the map before walking out onto the deck and summoning the winds to move to his will. Holly instructed Clarence at the helm to follow Brook's lead, and looked around. Seeing that no further assistance was needed, Holly followed Brook on his rounds until the evening grew dark and he nudged her towards their rooms. By the time Brook made it to their room, Holly was already nodding off, laying down in their bed.

"We'll be there within the tenday, but it depends on the winds for how fast it'll be." Brook commented to the sleepy artificer.

"Thank you." She mumbled, eyes growing too heavy to stay open.

Brook smiled, walking over to kiss her forehead. "Get some rest, Holly."

Days passed, and the couple were leaving the ship in the more than capable hands of Chester for a tenday. The crew were a bit confused by the sudden unscheduled time off, but it was captain's orders and their wages were being paid just the same. Holly and Brook used the fly spell to cover a significant amount of distance for the day before having to rest for the night about a day's travel from their hometown. The two rested for the night, but Holly couldn't sleep. Her stomach was literally reeling, and, all night, she felt the urge to lose her dinner violently. She looked at Brook and wondered if she should wake him, but decided that it would be best to let him sleep.

When morning came, she picked at her food, hungry, but unsure if she could keep any of it down. Holly wondered why her body had waited until she was on land to feel so sick, but could come up with nothing other than a cruel trick of fate. Holly cast fly on the pair of them, and, in short order, they were arriving at Vladimir's house. Holly smiled, excited to finally see her Dad after more than two years.

When they finally landed, Holly practically skipped over to the old familiar door, and knocked several times before waiting for a response. A minute passed before she heard the sound of the door being unlocked before a familiar dark haired elf opened the door in a disgruntled manner. "Hello, yes?" He grumbled without even looking at her.

"That's some way to greet your daughter after all this time." Holly grumbled back, watching the elf's expression change from frustration to joy before settling into his usual demeanor.

"Holly?" Vlad asked, finally looking at her and the half-elf next to her. He appraised them for several moments before he said. "There is story here. Would like to hear it."

Holly bridged the gap between the two of them, pulling him in for a quick hug before saying, "Not now. How about over dinner?"

"That is good. Now, go see mother. She will want to see you." Vladimir responded, starting to close the door.

Holly saw how anxious he was to get back inside, and realized that something was amiss. She looked at the state of the elf, and saw that his robes weren't hanging right and his hair was mussed. She smiled a wide grin and said, "Tell captain Kiki that she's welcome to come to dinner as well."

Vlad, if it was possible, became more pale. He looked at Holly with a look that bespoke his guilt. Holly had to keep herself from laughing at the man's expression as he simply closed the door quietly in her face.

Brook looked at Holly and back at the door. "I think you got him more than a date."

Holly grinned up at him. "I know I did. I've never seen him like that before."

"Come on. Let's go see Mom." Brook smiled, grabbing her shoulder and guiding her towards the druid's home.

Many seasons had passed, but the house still looked very much the same. The fruit trees were dormant due to the winter season, but, otherwise, it was the same place. When Brook and Holly saw the familiar wooden frame, both couldn't help but to walk faster all too soon ending up knocking on the door. Pyria was much, much quicker to answer, and looked put together, unlike Vladimir. When she realized who had come to visit, she near instantly burst into tears, pulling Brook into a crushing hug before following up with a long hug of Holly. She looked between the two before inviting them both in for tea. Holly found that the orange ginger tea settled her upset stomach a bit, and, so, she savored the flavor of it even more. Pyria glanced between the two of them, looking them over critically before finally speaking. "I assume that you want to save the story telling for when Vladimir is here?"

Both nodded, but Holly took the initiative to say, "Yes, it would be nice to only have to tell it once."

Pyria nodded, quietly processing everything. How Brook moved and Holly followed. How Holly's scent had changed. She looked between the two before asking what she thought was the safest question that they could answer without leaving Vlad out, "So, when is the baby due?"

Holly's eyes grew wide as saucers, and she watched as Brook turned to her with a look somewhere between fury and amazement. "Uh," Holly frowned as her mind came to the realization that the secret had been ruined. "Well, I…"

Brook interrupted her with a kiss, fiery and passionate on her lips. "Please go on. I'd like to know myself." He said in an accusatory tone.

"The end of Flamerule, I think." Holly blushed, looking between Brook and her mother.

Pyria simply nodded while Brook seemed to be counting in his head. Holly watched as the realization dawned on him and his eyes grew wide. He pointed a finger at her, and she felt his mental voice say in her mind. "Fuck. Your birthday?"

Holly nodded, responding mentally, "Yeah. Sorry. I was trying to figure out how to tell you with this trip."

Pyria laughed at the pair, standing up from her seat and grabbing a few things from her room before walking towards the door. "Well, I need to go into town to get dinner for the 5 of us. Why don't you two talk while I'm gone?"

The door shut, and Brook picked Holly up into his arms, carrying her to his old room. He placed her on the bed, and kneeled on the floor in front of her. "Is this why you freaked out at me when I said that we couldn't have a family at sea?"

"Y- yeah." She answered honestly. "I was worried that you didn't want this, and it's so soon. We're still really young."

"You should've just told me. We've done a lot of things that neither of us were ready for." Brook responded softly, rubbing his hands up and down her sides comfortingly. "How are you feeling?"

Holly shrugged. "Morning sickness started basically as soon as we left the ship."

Brook's head cocked to the side inquisitively. "What do you suppose that means?" He asked, wondering aloud.

Holly laughed, pulling Brook's head up to her level and kissing him. "I think it means that her father's genes are very strong in her."

"Her? What if it's a boy?" Brook asked with a chuckle.

Holly shrugged. "I don't know for sure. It's just a feeling, and I would be happy regardless."

"What are we going to do? You shouldn't be captain while pregnant. That's stressful work, and I don't want you fighting." Brook worried.

"Brook, I'm having a baby, not incompetent." Holly smiled, kissing him again. "I think that we should stay on the ship for awhile."

Brook frowned. "What about-?"

"If it comes down to a fight, I'll bow out, but…" Holly actually started to turn green for a moment. "I think the little one wants us to be at sea. Ugh. I'm going to be sick."

Holly ran to the bathroom while a concerned Brook followed. He held her hair back, rubbing her back softly. When Holly's sick spell was through, she cleaned her face before looking at Brook. "I'm already anxious for that to go away."

Brook looked worried, "What if being on the ship doesn't help?"

"Then, you have my permission to drag me back home." She grumbled moodily. "Once again, I'm pregnant, not incompetent. I learned my limits when I became captain. I know when to ask for help. Do you think that we can make some more of that tea from earlier? It really seemed to be helping."

"Yeah, whatever makes you feel better. I don't like it when you're sick like this." Brook answered, scooping her up into his arms and bringing her to the kitchen to sit at the table.

Holly smiled at him. "You know, I could get used to being spoiled like this."

"Don't. I'm still angry at you. How long did you know you were with child before today?" Brook griped as he steeped the tea leaves.

"That's not fair." Holly whined, taking the cup from him gratefully. "Thank you."

"How long? And, how many people besides me know?" He asked sternly, and she watched as his somewhat electric energy began to crackle in his anger. It didn't scare her, but it had been quite some time since he had lost control like this.

Holly didn't flinch away. "Calm down. It was just Rhea, and she found out on accident. I asked her to cast greater restoration on me the day after we dispatched James, and she told me she wouldn't cast it on a pregnant woman before telling me to go sleep it off."

"Not helping." Brook ground his teeth together. "That means you were pregnant when we killed that bastard. He could've-"

"But, he didn't. You protected us." Holly interrupted. "Now, come sit next to me and relax. I can practically feel your blood pressure rising."

Brook tried to reign in his frustration, but it was tough. He was angry. Finally, he sat next to Holly. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too. I overreacted. I should've trusted you not to freak out and just told you. Sorry that you had to hear it from your Mom. I didn't know that, that was something that could be smelled." Holly responded, sipping her tea. "Our family is weird."

He laughed, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"Oh, shit." Holly finally paused, wearing a worried grimace.

"What is it?" Brook asked, hovering over her unsure of what was going on.

"What's Dad going to say?" She asked nervously.

Brook sighed. He had completely forgotten about Vlad. "Well, knowing him, nothing at first. Then, a very long, angry stare at me." He facepalmed. "I am glad I have counterspell."

"Ugh. Sorry." Holly hid her face in her hands. "It's not too late to leave, I guess?"

"Oh, we could leave, but there is nowhere to run off to. Vlad would find us." He dejectedly sighed.

"Fine." She grumbled behind her hands. "I'll tell him at dinner. Maybe the whole story of the last two years will soften the blow?"

"I am praying it will." Brook answered, looking into his tea. He looked back at Holly and, gave her a small smile. "I still can't believe it has only been two years."

She nodded fervently. "Me either… Fuck. Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"Uh, what?" Brook asked confused by the sudden verbiage.

"My siblings." Holly damn near banged her head on the kitchen table now.

"Fuck." Brook said, falling limp in his chair. He covered his face, trying not to think of what was going to happen there. "Glissenda is going to kill me." He realized.

Holly shook her head while it rested on the table. "And Noomf will grill you like Vlad did when we first got together."

"Thank the gods I can fly." Brook said, thanking the open air. "At least, then, I might be able to get away from them long enough to explain myself." He sighed, placing his head on the table next to Holly.

"I'm sorry. You have to deal with all this because I forgot to cast the stupid spell." Holly said, starting to get teary eyed.

"Don't be." Brook replied, resting his hand on her back. "We were both really drunk." Brook grinned. "I honestly don't remember most of that night."

Holly laughed. "That's funny, because I remember the whole night through a pair of hazy drunk goggles."

"Well, I am glad one of us does. The last thing I remember was the dwarven whiskey being poured on you, and, I think, that's it." Brook said, trying to recall anything else.

"Hmm. That's a shame. You did this new thing with your tongue that night that drove me wild." She commented off handedly.

"Well, shit. I guess I will have to try and figure it out as we go then. Won't we?" He smiled.

Holly laughed at his excitability, "We can try when we're not in your mom's house waiting for her to come home."

Brook sighed. "That never stopped us before." He sat up, looking at the clock. "Nevermind. We don't have the time."

"I'm glad that we get to have a new adventure together." Holly smirked, grabbing his hand in her own and lacing their fingers together.

"Me too." Brook smiled, raising her hand to kiss it.

The door opened, then, and the two perked up to see Pyria entering the house. Both instantly relaxed. "Hey, Mom." Holly mumbled.

"Hello." Pyria smiled at Holly before looking between the two of them. "So, did you two have a nice talk? The house is still standing, so I assume it went well." She smiled, placing the things she'd bought down on the counter.

"Mom, what were you expecting to happen? Me getting shot or something? Because that isn't fun." Brook spoke, getting flashbacks to when James shot him. He shuttered.

"Kinda. Holly does have gunpowder on her, so I figured as much." Pyria replied simply.

"Seriously, Mom! How good is your nose!?" Holly exclaimed, shocked that she had managed to figure that out so quickly.

Pyria smiled, and stuck her tongue out at the girl. "Not telling. That is my secret. Also, you had eggs for breakfast." She grinned as she began to start prepping food.

"That's creepy." Holly commented before pushing herself away from the kitchen table to use the facilities.

Brook looked at his mother in shock. "Yeah, you're right." He gaped, staring off into the distance. He exhaled, giving up on trying to figure it out. "Do you need help?" He asked his mother.

"I will be fine. You have a pregnant gnome to worry about." She waved him off.

Brook nodded, and sat on the couch, waiting for Holly to return from the bathroom. He hadn't heard retching, so he let her have her time. Holly arrived back a few minutes later. She walked over, and sat on the couch next to Brook.

"Sorry. I had to brush my teeth." Holly grumbled. "Didn't want to think about Mom smelling my breath from getting sick earlier."

"That's fine." Brook said, pulling her close to him. He looked at Holly and then at his mom. "I am dreading this meal."

Pyria frowned. "I would say that's not very nice, but I think it has more to do with your brother than my cooking."

"Yup." Brook replied, making a popping sound when he spoke. "Looking forward to the food, just not the conversation." He sighed.

"That is understandable. Vlad is, well, Vlad." Pyria sighed. She looked over at the two of them, seeing how much they had grown in the last few years. She smiled. "Don't worry. He will be okay with it. Angry at first, and, then, he will be all tears and love. Mark my words."

Holly reeled at those words. "Sorry, Mom, but I don't think he's going to cry. I lived with him for thirteen years, and never saw him cry." Holly commented.

She chuckled at Holly's words. "That is true, but I raised him. I can assure you that he cries. If this doesn't make those tears fall, there is nothing that can do it." Pyria said, waving a sauce covered spoon in their direction.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Holly rolled her eyes, looking to Brook.

"Don't look at me! I'm just as skeptical as you!' Brook joked.

The two sat together as dinner was being made, enjoying each other's company. An hour had passed, too short of an hour for Brook's and Holly's liking, and Vlad and Kiara arrived. They had some light conversation before dinner was served at which point Brook and Holly began to tell their crazy tale to Vlad and Pyria. Expressions were mixed, and emotions were wild as the story was told. Vlad was ecstatic to know that James was dead once and for all while pyria was more curious about Holly's' arm. She offered to cast regenerate on it, if she so desired, but Holly refused. She had grown rather fond of it over the last year. Pyria agreed, and let her be.

They all sat back, and let their meal digest. It was Vlad who was the first to speak. "Well, it sounds like you two had quite the adventure. What do you plan on doing next?"

Brook and Holly jumped. They weren't sure how to tell him. "I think we have a few plans in the works." Brook smiled down at Holly.

"Uh, yeah, about that," Holly glared at Brook. He'd totally just thrown her to the wolves. "I…" She paused for a moment, and, then, the words tumbled out at once with no room for pause or breath. "Just-found-out-that-I'm-pregnant."

The room went silent. They could have heard a pin drop with how little sound was in the room. Vlad looked at Holly in shock. This was the first time his brain had ever come to a full stop to process what he had just heard. After a moment of processing, he looked at Brook, his eyes seeing red. He stood up, walking over to Brook and extended a hand. Brook looked at his brother, and grabbed his hand. He was quickly pulled into a tight embrace. "You are going to be a father," Vlad said, retreating with tears in his eyes. He, then, leaned down, and carefully hugged his daughter. "and you are going to be a mother!" His voice trembling. He held Holly tight for a long moment before he pulled away. "I am so proud of the both of you."

"I expected anger." Holly laughed. "This, I did not expect. Thanks, Dad."

Brook laughed. "Yeah, same. Does that mean you're not mad at me, Vlad?"

Vlad stood up, and turned to Brook walking up and looking him square in the eyes. "Make no mistake. I am pissed." Vlad deadpanned. "You two are still unwed, and baby is on the way. You will want to fix this very soon." Vlad grilled, threatening far more than he said with words.

Holly looked over at Brook anxiously. "I never actually considered marriage. Is that weird?"

Brook looked pale, but the color was coming back to him. "Uh, no. I hadn't thought of it up until a few very short seconds ago." Brook half-chuckled with Vlad still standing in front of him.

"Good choice of words." Vlad said, taking a step back and being motioned over by Kiara.

"Vladimir! Let them have some time to adjust." Kiara said, nudging him in the ribs. "Stop being so harsh." She mouthed over to Holly and Brook. "I got your back."

Brook smiled. "Thank you, Kiki." He silently said.

Holly just nodded at Kiki still feeling a bit shell shocked. Marriage. That was something that seemed so far off and distant. She had been dreaming of being a sailor her whole life. She dreamt of being with Brook, but the idea of marriage didn't seem like enough to cover how much she felt for the flabbergasted half-elf. She looked up at Brook again. "I guess Rhea could cast ceremony. I'd like to be married in front of the crew. On our ship."

Brook looked at her, thinking about the idea. It sounded so… Them. It was perfect. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Would you all be okay with a trip to the coast?" Holly asked the elves.

There was a moment of nodding and quick murmurs that went around before Pyria spoke up. "That would be delightful. I haven't been to the coast in at least a half-century." She smiled.

Holly looked at Brook. "I guess, the only real question now is, when? I don't really want a big to do."

"How about within the next tenday?" Brook asked. "Let's just get it over with."

"We did tell the crew that we'd be back by tenth day." Holly smiled.

Two days passed with Pyria, Vlad, and Kiara preparing for a journey, and, during those two days, Holly was debilitatingly sick each day. She could barely keep anything down, and Brook was worried for her well being. Brook finally told the family that he and Holly would be leaving the next morning for her to recuperate under the care of their cleric, giving Vladimir a detailed map for their journey. The next morning, Brook woke up to an empty bed. He looked around the room in confusion before he realized where his gnomish future wife must be. Sighing, he dragged himself out of bed, pulling on a shirt and walking across the hallway to the bathroom.

He found her still in her pajamas with her back leaning against the wall across from the toilet. Her eyes were closed, and she was shaking with shivers and sweating. She looked like a rumpled mess, but she was his mess. He sat next to her, and she leaned closer to him. "You okay, Holly?"

"Yeah, I guess. I've found that, if I don't move from this spot, I can actually get a 5 minute nap in here and there." Holly mumbled, leaving her eyes closed. "Brook?"

"Yeah?" He asked, gently placing a hand on her knee, trying to comfort her, but afraid to move her.

Holly didn't speak for a long moment, just taking in deep breaths "I'm not sure that I can make the journey." Holly admitted.

"It's okay." Brook reassured her. "I'll take care of everything. The only thing you need to worry about is getting dressed before we go. I'll write a note to my mom to let her know we left."

Holly basically crawled into the bedroom and dressed from the floor. If she hadn't been feeling so awful, it would have been comical to Brook. Instead, he walked to the kitchen, and jotted down a quick note to his mother before meeting Holly in the bedroom. "Ready to go?" He asked, grabbing their things and sitting next to her.

"Mmmm." Holly grumbled. "I guess so. Let's get this over with."

She started to try to stand up, but Brook used a hand to hold her down. "Don't worry about that. I've got you." With that, Brook grabbed her hand firmly, and cast teleport.


	26. New Beginnings

The pair arrived on the deck of the ship, and Holly promptly ran to the side of the ship and wretched out the contents of her stomach. Brook joined her, making sure that she was okay before leaving to find Rhea. He quickly made his way below deck; he nodded at the few crewen who greeted him, but kept moving ahead. He found Rhea's door, and knocked harder than he cared to admit. "Hey, Rhea. Are you there? Kinda need your help with something." He said quickly, thinking about Holly as he spoke.

The dwarf answered the door with a concerned look. "Well, you're not bleeding out, so this must be about Holly."

"Yeah, she isn't feeling so hot right now. Barely able to keep any food down, but I'm guessing that's normal. What we actually need is for you to cast ceremony on the two of us when our parents arrive in the next few days." Brook sighed. He was annoyed by how fast this was going, but it made sense. Nothing was ever easy for the two of them.

The dwarf's eyes widened. "Well, of course. I'd be honored. Where is Holly? I'll take a look, and see if there's anything that can be done."

"She is currently on the top of the ship, puking her guts out." He said, pointing above them. "Come on. I'll lead the way." He said, making his way topside hurriedly.

The cleric followed Brook up the stairs with a look of concern on her face. She walked over to the gnome who was still spilling her guts over the side of the ship, and touched her for a moment with glowing fingertips before stepping away. "Feel better?" She asked.

Holly slumped over back onto the deck. "A bit."

Brook looked concerned between the two before settling his eyes on Holly, scooping her up and carrying her to their quarters. Crewmen watched as their captain was carried off after having been violently ill. Several of them looked concerned, but Brook and Rhea were with her. So, they paid them only a little attention as they passed by, quickly moving on with their days.

When Brook placed Holly down, she fell limply onto the bed. "Ugh. Just let me sleep. I feel better already." Holly grumpily whined, starting to get sick of all the attention.

"Captain, I need you to tell me everything that's happened. When did this start?" Rhea asked softly, casting a couple of spells to check her over and finding nothing abnormal.

"Ugh. Basically, as soon as we left the ship. I've hardly slept, and hardly eaten since." She explained as calmly as she could.

Rhea looked over her captain, curiously enough, she smiled. "Captain, you should be fine. I think I know what's going on here. Your child likes the sea." She explained with a silly grin.

"Sounds like her father." Holly grumbled, halfheartedly slapping at Brook and missing.

"Well, I guess we are going to have a heap of trouble ahead of us." He smiled at her.

"How am I supposed to function for seven months without going onto solid ground? The fuck." The gnome sighed in frustration.

Rhea looked at Holly, and patted her on the shoulder. "You'll be fine, captain. If you can survive an explosion, this will be a cakewalk for you." She smiled before turning and looking at Brook. "You, on the other hand, are going to have your work cut out for you." She grinned.

"Wh- why me?" Brook asked, confused.

"Well, that is simple." Rhea smiled. "You made her that way. She is going to get stir crazy, and you will be the one to deal with it. Not to mention all the crazy mood swings." She shrugged. "Have fun!" Then, turned around, leaving the captain's quarters and disappearing back below deck.

Holly picked up a pillow, and threw it at Brook. "Yup. I blame you. It was your idea to get drunk on my birthday."

Brook felt the pillow hit him, and caught it as it fell. "You, at least, had a better one than the previous year. Then again, I'm sure anything would have been better than that." He said, sitting down on the mattress next to her.

"You could have literally shat in our bed and it would've been better." Holly whined, covering her eyes with her metal arm.

"Eww." Brook twitched as she said that. "Thank the gods, I didn't do that."

Holly chuckled in a manic sort of way. "It would've been memorable. That's for sure."

Brook looked at Holly, and, then, chuckled. "Yeah, it would've." He leaned down, and kissed her. "Even so, I have no regrets."

Holly's hand came to rest on her lower stomach. "I feel better already. Is that weird? I wonder when I'll start to actually look pregnant, and I really don't feel any different yet."

Brook kissed her lower stomach, and looked back up to her. "Well, you are weird, but I wouldn't change a thing." He tensed, ready for what was to come.

"Hey!" She growled, sitting up and trying to catch him with her metal arm, but he jumped out of the way. "Get back over here."

He dodged, and grabbed her arm before spinning her around, pulling her close to him arm still being held. "Here I am. Now, what?" He smiled mischievously.

"That's how this happened, you ass." She laughed, kissing him on the cheek.

Brook smiled, and kissed her back. He hugged her close, and laid back. "I am sorry, but you make it way too easy."

"Brook?" She asked, looking into his eyes and licking her lips alluringly.

"Yes?" He replied, eager to know what she was thinking.

Holly looked at him seriously for a moment before saying, "It's been damn near three days. Feed me, please."

Brook smiled, and kissed her. "Okay. I'll get you some food." He laughed slightly as he stood up. "I'm guessing you're not picky. Right?" He said, stopping by the door.

"Fucking anything." She cursed.

"A bit of everything it is." He nodded, walking out to get his soon to be wife food for the first time in days.

A few days had past, and Holly was acting like her usual self. Brook, on the other hand, was stressing out,. He had gone out, and gotten the rings for the wedding. He had been doing a lot recently. So far, his biggest concern was messing up, and that was terrifying him. What if he couldn't be a good husband? What if he couldn't be a good father? What if the child grew up hating him? What if the sea opened up and a kraken came out when the child was due? He was starting to worry himself. The thing that stopped him from going completely mental was the arrival of Pyria, Vlad and Kiki. Brook felt at ease with his mother around.

Pyria walked up, and hugged Brook while Vlad and Kiara binspected the ship. "Oh, Brook! How are you doing?"

Brook sighed. "I'm glad that you are around. It helps that you are here." He smiled.

"It has been stressful, hasn't it?" She smiled.

"Yeah, it has." He sighed tiredly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but it won't get any easier. I'm sorry." Pyria hugged him, practically able to smell the stress coming from her son and feeling badly for him.

It was at this moment that Holly noticed the arrival of their three honored guests, and she ran over to steal three huge hugs from Vladimir, Kiki, and Pyria in turn. She, then, stood back to stand next to Brook. She looked at him nervously. "So, this is it?" She murmured. "We get married today?"

Vlad looked over the group, and nodded. "Da. This is everyone."

"Well, I guess it's time." Brook smiled at Holly.

"Hang on." Holly said, whistling to the crew. "Chester! Can you get us out into the harbor? I don't want to be docked for this."

"Yes, captain!" Chester called, getting the ship ready to move. Once it was, Brook helped by moving the winds to speed things along.

Holly leaned against Brook as he worked with the winds, just enjoying the feel of the air on her face. It made her feel more alive to be on the ship, feeling the rocking of the ship along the waters. She looked at Brook, and he looked so very much the same. She grabbed his hand in hers, and squeezed to communicate her feelings to him. This is where she felt they belonged.

Brook looked down, and smiled at her. His eyes were glowing slightly, but quickly subsided once they'd make it into the harbor. The winds died down, and the ship came to a halt. Brook leaned down, and looked at her. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Holly smiled, not letting go of his hand.

"Okay, then." He smiled back. "Let's do this." He stood up straighter, and lead Holly up near the helm before looking for Rhea. "Rhea! We are ready." He smiled, looking into Holly's eyes.

Rhea walked up the stairs, and stood next to the helm in front of the couple. "Well, when you hired me, captain, I always thought that I'd be the one to marry you off to this gentleman, and we're lucky enough for your family to be able to join us." She smiled. "When I met you two, I could tell that you both had something special with each other, and I know that, that will remain for the rest of your lives. Brook, Holly, if you'd like to share vows, now is the time."

Holly looked nervously at Brook. "I don't know that there's much for me to say that hasn't already been said. I love you now as I have for fifteen years. And, well, I promise not to boss you around too much as your captain." She laughed, squeezing his hand to let him know that it was his turn.

Brook blushed slightly. He hadn't actually thought of anything. "Well, I knew that I would always follow you no matter where you went, and, as long as you were by my side, I was okay with that. So, I promise to always be right there by your side, keeping that crazy brain of yours in check," He paused for a moment before adding. "and to keep you cool in the summer." He smiled, making himself chuckle at his own joke.

The cleric clutched her holy symbol, and, then, grabbed their hands. A glow came about them, and a magical string seemed to tie their hands together before fading into nothing. "By the powers of Moradin, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride, but none of that gross stuff. Take that to your quarters." She laughed.

Brook smiled at Rhea, and, then, looked to Holly before leaning down, picking her up, and kissing her lovingly on the lips. "I love you, Holly." He whispered just for her.

"I love you too, Brook." She whispered back into his ear, letting her breath tickle the sensitive appendage.

The pair broke apart when claps started to ring out all around them, and, suddenly, the crew started to call out, "Captain Evenwood!" Loudly and raucously for all the ship to hear. Both of them were blushing, and Brook suddenly remembered something very important; he quickly produced two ring boxes from his pockets. He handed Holly his, and she opened it to reveal a masculine looking golden band, which she placed on his ring finger tenderly. Brook smiled, and followed her lead, revealing a slightly more feminine wedding band for her to wear. He was glad now that James had forgotten about his wife's left handedness because he knew that the ring would never stay on her mechanical finger.

The couple received hugs and congratulations from their family, and Holly was vaguely aware that Brook was directing them back from whence they came. Once the celebrating quietened down, Holly looked over across the deck of the ship. So many things raced through her mind as she did this, and the time finally felt right. "I have an announcement to make." She called to the crew, hopping up on the railing near the helm as she was wont to do so often. "I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you all this for two tenday, and I just realized that there will never be an easy time to do this. But, this is as good as it will ever get."

Holly glanced over to Chester at the helm. "Chester, I know that you've wanted this for a long time, and I know that you are far more ready than I ever was. I hereby step down as captain, and promote you in my place."

Chester's eyes were saucer sized, he looked at her, and he looked at the ship and crew. "Captain, are you sure? What will you do?"

Holly laughed at his reaction. "I'll be doing what I do best, causing trouble for other people." The crew chuckled at that. "We'll go over details tomorrow. For now, I think that we should celebrate, so drink up. I'll be replacing the rum and ale before we leave port."

Holly felt Brook lift her effortlessly, carrying her down the steps and past the crew and their family to the captain's quarters. Vlad looked slightly irate, but actually started to laugh when he saw that they were still using the captain's quarters for their wedding night, even though his daughter had just wisely said she was passing on the torch to another. He explained this to Kiara and the pair couldn't stop chuckling all the way to the inn they'd rented for the night.

Pyria lingered on the ship for awhile longer, just enjoying the feeling of family and camaraderie that her children's crew had. She was glad that they'd found a second family like this one. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the new captain speaking to her. "You must be Brook's lovely mother." Chester smiled. "Do you need an escort to the inn for the night?"

Pyria smiled at him, "No, thank you for asking, and thank you for taking care of them."

Chester's smile faltered, not expecting those words from the elven woman. "You're welcome, but, really, they took care of me."

Pyria just nodded. "Have a good evening, captain Chester."

"It's Pine, ma'am. Captain Pine." He corrected quickly, realizing she didn't know his full name.

"Sounds like the crew has a new tradition to uphold. Captain Timbers, captain Evenwood, captain Pine." She smiled back at him. "Good evening, Chester Pine." Pyria turned to walk away, and, then, stopped. She looked at the door to where Brook and Holly were; there was no way she could give Brook the letter now. She looked at Chester, and reached into a pocket to grab a slip of paper. "Chester, could you please give this to Brook when you see him next? Tell him it's from his father." She smiled.

"Uh, yes, ma'am. Can do." He nodded, carefully taking the paper from her. "I will make sure that he gets this first thing in the morning." He assured her.

"Good. I'm glad. Thank you, Chester." She smiled before turning and leaving.

The crew awoke to hangovers, and Brook and Holly awoke exhausted, having celebrated into the early morning hours. The newly married couple thanked their family for coming to see them be married, and boarded the ship after a quick resupply at the tavern. Today, they would be leaving for a new port with quite a few trade goods in tow. It was simple, but nothing was simple for Holly anymore. She had another passenger on board to consider, and she had even chosen a longer route to avoid running into anybody with ill intentions in mind. When Chester questioned her about this, she started to explain the responsibilities of captain to him properly and in detail, and she even explained about her pregnancy to the new captain who had tried to name her first mate, which she'd promptly declined.

"Shouldn't you be staying home, then?" Chester had asked, honestly baffled by her logic and looking for answers.

"I wish that I could." Was her easy response. "It would be safer for all three of us, but, when we left for those three days, I was so violently ill that I couldn't function. It turns out that something about the sea comforts the baby, and I'm personally inclined to do anything that will allow me to eat over the course of all of this."

Chester accepted this response, and, then, turned to Brook. "Uh, sir. Your mother wanted me to give you this." He explained, handing Brook the sealed letter. "She said it's from your father." Chester murmured curiously. He didn't know everything about the pair, but he'd been under the impression that Brook's father was dead.

Brook looked at the letter, and hesitantly grabbed it. "Thank you, Chester." He mumbled. He looked at the handwriting. It was in fact his father's. He recognized it in an instant. Brook took the letter, and made his way to his room. He needed to read this alone. He carefully opened it, and read.

My Dear Brook,

First of all, congratulations! I am glad that you found someone you love. I am sad that I won't be there to witness it, but I hope that you love her as much as I loved your mother. And, if you are anything like me, I bet you do.

Now, I don't know what woman stole your heart. I just hope that she is smart, beautiful, and knows how to keep you in check. That she is kind, wise, and as stubborn as all nine hells. Much like your mother. Just know that, no matter who you married, I am happy for you.

Now, you will have a harder journey ahead of you, making sure that she is happy. If you can manage to do that, you can handle everything else that comes your way. Even much smaller additions. Soon after this, you will probably want to settle down and have kids, and, know this, it will be the hardest and most rewarding thing of your life.

You were no easy task growing up, and Holly made things just as hard. But, I can safely say that, it was worth it. I don't know when you will decide on having kids. Just know the road will be tough, but, with her by your side, you will be able to pull through.

Now, I won't keep you any longer with this letter. You probably have a lot to do with your wife. I just want you to know that I am happy for you, and I am proud of you. I always was.

Love you. Now and forever,

Nicholas Evenwood

Brook felt a few tears run down his face, but he had a wide smile showing. He folded up the letter, and, once he'd composed himself, returned to thank Chester. "Thank you, captain." He sniffed, wiping at his eyes as he was suddenly overcome with emotion again.

Chester patted Brook on the shoulder. "No problem." He smiled back. "Also, congratulations."

"Thanks." Brook smiled back. "Now, get back to work." He joked with the captain.

Chester laughed, and, for a time, all was well. That is, until Holly's baby bump started to show, and the crew started to take notice. Holly, being rather perceptive, of course, noticed this and yelled at them in her attention grabbing captain's tone, "What? You never seen a pregnant woman before? Get back to work!"

By the time spring came about, Holly was finally feeling the effects of cabin fever. She wanted off the bloody vessel, but she had no idea how it would affect her. She wanted to just walk on solid ground for an hour, and she would be satisfied. She asked Brook and Rhea what they thought, and they rejected the thought without so much as a moment's hesitation. Holly was pissed, and stormed to their quarters in a huff, using words that made several crewmen blush.

Holly cried in their bed, upset and just wanting to feel free for a little while. It was starting to get more difficult to get around for her, and she was waddling more than walking lately. She heard the door to the room open, and a pair of arms, her husband's strong ones, wrapped around her. "I'm sorry." He mumbled into her ear, pulling her body against his and rubbing the taught flesh of her rounded stomach. "I just want you both to be okay."

"I know." Holly sniffed. "Doesn't make me feel any better."

"I love you. Both of you. If there's anything… besides that, that I can do-" He offered.

Holly sighed. "Brook." She growled at him under her breath.

"Holly." He replied, not knowing what to say to make her feel better.

The gnome sighed. "I just wish that I could walk around for an hour. I haven't even been able to see the quartermaster. He helped us with James."

"Is that what all of this is about? I can go get him for you. I know that you're friends." Brook offered to her.

"It would definitely make me feel better to talk to someone not from our crew for a few minutes." She responded finally. "You're all wonderful, but I'm bored with the hovering and fussing. I want someone to talk to me like I'm just Holly."

Brook squeezed her as tightly as he dared. "Why don't you just use your sending stone and talk to my brother?"

Holly grew suddenly still in his arms, and she rolled over to look at him. "Because I'm an idiot, and I forgot that it existed until this moment."

"You forgot you had a magic item?" Brook laughed at her, pecking her on the lips. "Sorry, but who are you and what have you done to my wife?"

"Hee ha ha." Holly rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I've had a lot on my mind."

Brook smiled. "I know. You keep yourself up too late thinking about it."

"I have been sleeping, though!" Holly defended herself.

"Yeah, until noon. Admit it. Your sleep schedule is fucked up." Brook barked a laugh, pulling away far enough to look at all of her. "I love you. Now, call your Dad before you drive me crazy with your whinging."

Holly unceremoniously pushed her husband out of their bed before digging through her bag to find her sending stone and speaking with her father at length. This became a new nightly ritual, and Vladimir even gave his stone to Kiara and Pyria from time to time. Brook thanked the gods that this solution seemed to help with the worst of Holly's boredom, and things were much less strained for a few months until the summer storms began. During the very first one, Holly couldn't sleep, saying that the baby wouldn't stop kicking her all throughout the night, and Brook was torn between being on deck controlling the powerful winds and being with his wife and child. Holly wasn't upset by his lack of presence on these nights, but it was obvious to the crew that both Mr. & Mrs. Evenwood could stand to have a night off together. The couple were given the opportunity after about a tenday when, during a storm, the baby had decided that kicking its mother's bladder was hilarious, and Brook had to keep helping Holly to and from the facilities. The crew all banded together to get them safely through the night, but it was very obvious to all that the remainder of the journey would be a difficult one.

It was the middle of a hot and muggy Flamerule afternoon that it started. The winds started to pick up, and black storm clouds started to roll in. A heavily pregnant Holly saw this, and sighed, walking into the quarters she shared with Brook without needing to be told. She would be grounded from the deck for the rest of the night. Brook checked on her before the worst of the storm began, to make sure that she had everything that she needed to be comfortable, and she waved him off, saying for the millionth time. "I'm pregnant, not incompetent. Go. Keep the ship safe. It's the most help you can be to me right now." Brook kissed her before taking a shot of dwarven coffee. Tonight would be a long night.

The ship was rocking dangerously forward and aft. Holly thought that she was going to be sick with how much they were being jostled, and was honestly concerned that the ship would capsize with the fury the waves were beating them with. Every so often, the ship would right itself, and she knew the Brook had gained some semblance of control over the storm. But, as the night passed, those breaks in the rocking were fewer and farther in between.

It was during one of these infrequent breaks in the intensity of the storm that Holly suddenly felt like she'd wet herself. "Fuck." She growled, having been warned by Rhea what would happen next. She stepped out of the safety of her room and into the torrent on deck to try to find Brook. By the time she made it to him, she was freezing cold and soaked through to the bone. Her husband was at the helm, helping Chester guide the ship by keeping the worst of the storm from him.

"Holly!" He called to her. "Get back inside. It's not safe."

"I know!" She shouted back. "I need Rhea. The baby's coming."

Brook looked like he was about to panic, but he stopped by taking a breath, looking to Chester. "Will you be good for five minutes while I deal with this?"

"Go. Quickly." Chester ordered assertively. "If you need to be there, wake the others."

Brook looked to Holly, and Holly answered back. "I'll be fine. I just need Rhea."

Brook said no more, running downstairs as Holly carefully made her way back to their rooms. She could feel the contractions starting, and it was all she could do to keep walking. She reminded herself of the pain of cauterizing her arm onto the bone, and knew that this was nothing. When she got into their room, Holly shut the door, and started peeling her wet clothes off and shivering violently. She put on one of Brook's larger shirts, and cast prestidigitation on everything else to dry out. Not seeing the need to put on anything else, she sat down on the bed, breathing through the pain until Brook and Rhea arrived a minute later.

Closing the door, Brook stepped inside long enough to grip her hand and kiss her softly. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Holly smiled at him as best she could. "I'd probably break your hand if you stayed in here anyway. Go. Keep us safe by keeping the ship safe."

"Couldn't wait. Could he?" Rhea laughed, knowing for many months that the baby was most comfortable at sea and in stormy weather.

"She got impatient." Holly groaned, breathing through another contraction. "This isn't so bad compared to losing the arm and attaching the metal one."

Rhea nodded, checking the gnome's pulse and breathing before commenting. "I recall. There were quite a few new gnomish phrases that I learned thanks to that."

"You're welcome." Holly laughed. "You're still convinced it's a boy, huh?"

"He's too much like his father to not be." She surmised, helping Holly get into a comfortable position that would help with the imminent birth.

Holly nodded. "I think she's just a Daddy's girl. Bet's still on for five platinum pieces, yeah?"

Rhea laughed. "Only you would be making bets about the gender of your baby while in labor."

"It's better than screaming in agony and breaking Brook's hand." Holly winced, closing her eyes and breathing. "Seriously, this is nothing. It just lasts longer."

"Just try to keep the decibel level down when you're screaming in agony in an hour." Rhea quipped.

"Won't need to." Holly gritted out during another contraction.

Rhea shook her head. "Have it your way, Holly."

The gnomish former captain didn't scream until the end of the birth, which the crew would have appreciated had they known about the situation at hand. Instead, several men were awoken by the ear rending scream, and ran out from below deck to check that all was well only to find that the storm had finally cleared from overhead. Brook was running across the deck as fast as his exhausted legs would carry him to Holly and their child. He ripped open the door, and was stopped in his tracks by the sight before him. He saw his wife holding a small swaddled bundle against her chest, quietly cooing as she rocked it in her arms. Brook stepped into the room fully, closing the door behind him and walked to sit on the bed next to her. "The storm finally broke." He sighed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be here sooner. I heard you scream. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. Rhea healed me, and we're both fine. Come closer, and meet your daughter." She enthused, handing Brook the tiny bundle she was cradling in her arms.

Brook sat down, and looked in awe at the tiny creature that was carefully placed in his arms. He felt tears filling his eyes and a smile overtake his face. "Well, hello, little one. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm your Dad." He said lightly rubbing his nose against hers.

Holly watched Brook meet his daughter with drooping eyes, but she fought sleep for just a bit longer. "Rhea, are we okay to be alone?" She asked the cleric.

The woman nodded, "Yeah, just let me know if you need me. I'm going to go get some sleep, now."

Holly's eyes closed fully as she listened to Brook softly speaking to their daughter in his arms. "Brook? Can I sleep now?"

"Y- yeah. You rest. I'll sleep when you wake up" Brook muttered a bit nervously. This was his first kid too, and he was already being left alone to care for her.

"Thank you. Love you." She mumbled before sleep took her. She fell over, and curled into a ball with one hand reaching out to touch Brook's thigh, making sure that he was there.

Brook held his daughter, and stroked his wife's hair. His eyes were dangerously heavy too from keeping the storm at bay from the captain, but he fought the effects of the exhaustion for a little bit longer. The room was quiet except for the consistent snoring of Holly and the babbles of the baby. A knock sounded at the door, and Brook answered it, holding the baby in one arm and keeping the door in a relatively closed state with the other. On the other side of the door was Chester, and he looked at his first mate in a state of exhaustion himself. "I'm sorry that I kept you from them. Are they well?"

"Yeah, Holly's resting, and so is the new little one. So, I guess that I'm on duty." He laughed an exhausted hollow chuckle. "Any chance that I can get a day or two off after all of that?"

The captain smiled back. "Yeah, I think you've earned it. Do you need someone to give you a hand? I admit, I have no idea what I'm doing, but, if you both need rest…"

"Honestly, I'm not ready to sleep. Would you mind getting me a cup of dwarven coffee?" Brook asked, shifting the baby from one arm to another and accidentally opening the door a little more than it had been, revealing the unconscious gnome on the bed. "Oh, sorry. Holly's just exhausted. Lots of excitement for one night. She'll be up and about in no time at all."

Chester looked on in concern, but didn't say anything. "Alright. I'll get that coffee. Be right back."

Chester returned with the much needed beverage, and Brook took it from him gratefully, closing the door and locking it behind him. He looked down at the sleeping baby girl in his arms, and, then, down at his wife. She would be out for awhile, so he decided to speak to the baby or the room. He wasn't sure which. "Well, welcome to the world." He smiled, looking around the room.

"I know it's not much now, but I can assure you that the world is a big place full of many amazing people!" Brook looked down at his little girl, and a frown took him. "There are also some who are very mean." He looked at Holly and her arm. "Stay away from those ones. I know that it might seem impossible, but, if you are anything like your mom, you will be fine. I know it." Brook smiled again, thinking of Holly when they were growing up. "Now, no boys, until you are of age." He jested at the still sleeping girl, who snored just like her mom. Brook giggled. "But, when they do pique your interest, which they will," He sighed. "try to take my advice and find a guy who loves you unconditionally. One who would follow you to the ends of the earth just to be by your side. A guy who will deal with all of your eccentricities and love you even more for it." He smiled down at her, and looked at Holly. "Do that, and I will be happy with whatever you do with your life good or bad. I promise."

He mused for a few minutes, sitting with her in his arms, sipping his coffee every so often when a thought crossed his mind. "Huh, I just realized, you were born at sea. You're not Theisan like your mom and I. You are, well, whatever you want to be!" Brook smiled before letting out a yawn. He looked at the clock, and was shocked at the time. How had it been four hours already? Brook would still be feeling the effects of the dwarven coffee for awhile, so he decided to go down to the galley to get a proper breakfast for both himself and Holly. There was just one problem. He looked down at his daughter. He didn't want to bring her out on deck to potentially disturb her. His eyes wandered back to Holly. She looked like she would still be out for awhile. Sighing, Brook gently placed the baby in her crib. "You know, your mom passed out before we could officially name you, but I already know your name. Your name is Amaeria, after two of the strongest women your mom and I have ever met. My mother, of course, and captain Amaelia." He felt like there was more to say, but he fell short for a moment. Unable to find the right words.

The infant didn't budge after being put down, so Brook quickly got to work, heading down to the galley to collect food from the cook. Several people tried to stop him, but he either brushed them off or the dazed look in his eyes scared them off. He brought the food into their cabin, and was thankful to find that nothing had changed while he'd been gone. "That was nerve wracking." He muttered, taking a seat in a chair and eating his fill.

The parents traded duties after just a while longer, and Holly fed Amaeria, none the wiser to Brook's rather one sided conversation with her. Things stopped being strange and became normal after a few days, and the Evenwood's soon found a new normal in their lives as they adjusted to the new addition.


	27. Legacy

Years passed, and Amaeria grew up. The parents had, on multiple occasions, tried to move to a more permanent home rather than the ship, even having a house built in their hometown near Pyria and Vlad. Everytime they tried to move away, Amaeria would either become violently ill or throw the world's biggest temper tantrum. The parents were stunned, but agreed to stay on the ship. The crew soon grew used to the sight of a small child running about, and, many of them, treated her like a surrogate niece. Captain Chester didn't mind the small pleasant distraction that Amaeria presented, and Holly guessed that he was glad that the crew had something around to bring joy to their often monotonous journeys.

Holly and Brook, thankfully, hadn't tired of the sea, but the pair did dream about the day when they could return home to live with their family. They reminisced about the days spent in the shade of their grove, and both were excited to learn what it was like to have captain Kiki in Vladimir's life. The pair had a running bet going that Brook's brother would be proposing soon, but, when prompted, he was all but silent.

By the time their daughter was five, she had already shown signs of being a sorcerer like Brook, and, that was confirmed, one night during a storm almost as bad as the one she was born during. Holly noticed how wakeful she was even after she'd been awake all day, so, she reluctantly brought the girl to be at the helm with her father and the captain.

"Your daughter can't sleep." Holly explained to Brook with a loving smile and a chaste kiss. "I'm going to bed."

Brook looked like he was going to protest until the wind and rain that had only been slowing for him suddenly stopped. He looked down at his daughter wide eyed. "Uh, yeah, sleep well."

Holly walked to their quarters, soaking wet and with a bittersweet smile. She'd known during her pregnancy that her baby had been like Brook, but it was something else entirely for it to be real and in front of her. Her daughter was like her in so many ways, but not this one. She loved the pride that it brought Brook to see their child excelling at magics at such a young age, and the thought that she'd gotten that from her mother didn't escape Holly either. After drying off, sleep took her quickly that night, and she didn't wake up until Brook and Amaeria came to bed in the wee hours of the morning.

When Amaeria turned ten, she finally showed a real interest in leaving the ship, and, for once, she didn't get sick with her feet on dry land for more than a few minutes. Brook and Holly asked her how she felt about possibly visiting family one day, and she was enthused to spend some real time with her grandmother, Uncle Vladimir, and Aunt Kiki. Her mother even promised her that she'd have Aunt Glissenda and Uncle Noomfla come for a visit while they were at it.

So, the family packed their things, and bid the crew goodbye for a month long vacation while the crew decided to take a few missions worth more money, involving more danger than usual. Amaeria thoroughly enjoyed their trip, and it became obvious to her that her parents dreamed of coming back home from the sea on a more permanent basis. She might be young, but, like her mother, she was intelligent. So, towards the end of their trip, she came out of her bedroom (which was weird because she had a bedroom on the ship and this house was theirs, but they never lived in it), and sat on the couch that her parents weren't cuddling on. She watched them for only a moment, but, when they didn't snap out of it, she coughed to get their attention.

Her mother was the first to react, "Yes, dear?"

"You guys don't want to leave, do you?" Amaeria deadpanned.

The parents looked at each other, silently communicating before Brook answered, "We want you to be happy."

Amaeria sighed, pushing a stray piece of hair out of her face behind her ear. "That's not a real answer, Dad. I'm not stupid. Just answer the question."

"We grew up here, dear." Holly responded honestly. "This place is special to us, and we always want to come back. But, you're more important to us than living in a certain place."

The small half-gnome nodded, "I'm sorry. If you want to, we can stay."

Brook actually scoffed at those words, "You don't mean that, and we don't want you to. Amaeria, if we wanted you to do and be what we want, we would be terrible parents. Besides that, don't you think we would've moved back sooner? We're going to keep doing what we always have for the foreseeable future, and, one day, when you're grown, we'll get the chance to come back here on a more permanent basis." He answered honestly, not mincing words.

Amaeria jumped out of her seat, and ran to tackle her parents in their seats, hugging them tightly as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Thank you!"

Brook, took a moment to catch the wind that had been knocked out of him. "No problem, sweetie. Just give us a warning next time before you jump on us." He joked.

"Yeah, your father isn't as young as he used to be. He's thirty this year, and do I see some grey hairs?" Holly laughed at her husband.

He scoffed at his wife's joke. "I will have you know that I am just as spry as when we first met."

"Brook," Holly scoffed. "You were five. And, as I recall, you could do quite a lot of gymnastics. That is a blatant lie."

"Okay miss, 'has trouble scratching her back'. I guess I will just overlook that part won't I?" Brook said, cocking an eyebrow, judgmentally.

"You change cantrips out one time while pregnant to scratch your back with mage hand, and you never live it down." Holly grumbled. "I'll have you know that I have not used that spell to scratch my back since."

"Well, fine." Brook sighed, admitting defeat. He sat up, gently moving the two women off of him. He looked at the clock, and heard his stomach rumble. "Well, I guess I will start dinner then." He said, standing up.

"Would you like some help, dear?" Holly offered, still holding her daughter, and stroking the girl's black hair softly.

"Nah, I'll be fine. You two relax." He said, waving her off.

Holly pulled Amaeria from her lap, and moved her to sit next to her, wrapping her left arm around her. "You're going to make an amazing captain one day. You know that?" Holly offered. "Captains have to worry about not just themselves, but their crew as well."

Amaeria looked up at her Mom with a smile. "You really think so?" She asked curiously.

"I know so. You're my daughter, and I was an okay captain. So, you'll be way better." She smiled, kissing her forehead and leaning back to look curiously at Brook, who she could tell was intently listening.

Brook looked up from his cooking to look at his wife and daughter. "Amaeria, you have your mother's tenacity and my magical prowess. You are going to be a force to be reckoned with. There won't be a ship out there who would want to mess with you." He smiled before going back to his work at the stove.

"Hey, Mom?" Amaeria asked softly. She sounded nervous about what she was about to ask because she was. "Why did you give up being captain? If you liked it and you were so good, why are you just part of the crew now?"

Holly sighed. She was dreading this question, and she knew that it would come one day. She pulled her daughter tight against her, and she answered honestly. "Being captain was my dream for a long time when I was little, and it was great. I loved it. But, you were far more important to me than a title."

The two shared an embrace, and, a few days later, the Evenwood's made their way back to port. They traveled the world as a family until Amaeria was grown and ready to be on her own a decade later. There were tearful goodbyes the day that Brook and Holly officially retired from their adventures, but, when they did, they had the comfort of the other and countless memories to take with them. They spent the evenings in their yard or in the grove, and watched the sky, knowing that their daughter was watching it too.


End file.
